Blood Runs Deep
by SilverPhoenix16
Summary: The ties that link the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families run deeply in their blood, and it is difficult to tell where duty ends and friendship begins. Amaya Matsura, a new exchange student at Ouran, finds these unlikely ties blur all the lines between family, friend, and foe. She may not have a place, but she is willing to fight for one.
1. Welcome to Tokyo

_Finally, I'm on my way home. I hope that it is all that I've dreamed about…and maybe…just maybe…he'll welcome me…_

The plane landed on an early winter morning in Tokyo. Amaya opened her eyes and stretched after the long flight, eagerly peering out the window. This was the first time she had been to her home country since she was a baby, but she felt like she knew the place through the stories her mother had told her. She knew by heart the smells of green tea and cherry blossoms, the way the sun set in the evenings, and even what the bustling streets were like, thanks to the fond memories her mother had shared.

 _Mother…_

Amaya clutched an envelope closer to her heart as she readied her bags to deboard the plane. It had been six months since her mother died, and Amaya, at seventeen, was utterly alone. That is, until she found her mother's will and the letter attached, with contents that would change her life.

Amaya had grown up in San Francisco with a single mother who insisted that she speak Japanese at home, although all of the other children spoke English. She had been forced to learn traditional martial arts, even though she wanted to do ballet. She knew how to sing traditional songs, but she had wanted to play guitar. She could paint, but only traditional flowers or nature scenes. She knew how to perform a traditional tea ceremony, properly adorn herself in a kimono, and cook all the traditional foods of Japan.

"You will thank me one day," her mother had said, "for making sure your heritage is always a part of you."

While Amaya had complained early on, she never begrudged her mother. Now, she wished more than ever that she could hold her mother's hand again and say 'thank you,' but instead she offered up a prayer.

 _I'll see you again some day._

Throughout her life, Amaya had known nothing about her father. The letter contained information that she had longed for, but also held disappointment. The name and whereabouts of her father, who had apparently had no contact with her mother since Amaya's birth, were finally revealed. Her father was the head of the old and prestigious Haninozuka family. With that came joy: Amaya had extended family and a living father. However, Amaya was also a bastard. With that came disappointment: she knew that no bastard would be given a place in a reputable family. But she was here, in Tokyo, and they were here, in Tokyo, so that was at least a start.

She clutched her things tightly as she got into a taxi and gave the driver an address. She was heading to the house of her mother's friend, who would provide a place for her to live while she attended school.

Two weeks prior, Amaya had received the letter that she had been waiting for: acceptance into Ouran Academy. It had been her mother's dream that she attend, and now that she was in her final year of high school she had gained acceptance as an exchange student. She had left her entire life behind to attend a school in a country she didn't know, where she had family who didn't care about her existence.

 _Perhaps he'll care, if I could just talk to him._

"Amaya-chan! You look so much like your mother. Please come in! Have you eaten yet? I must rush to the teahouse but I made extra food for breakfast and lunch. You look tired. Maybe you could nap today…although that Academy keeps calling asking if you've arrived yet. You'll need to pick up your uniform! They've also sent a list of other expenses and books you'll need."

The single, elderly woman with whom Amaya was staying was a close friend to her mother. Tomiju-sama owed a traditional teahouse and had employed her mother for many years. She still ran the teahouse, but from what Amaya had gathered, it was now a tourist trap that served coffee and sweets. Tomiju-sama was extremely talkative, but very sweet, and quickly made sure that Amaya was settled in. Just as quickly, she was off to the teahouse for work.

Amaya unpacked her things, carefully taking out an ornate wooden box and setting it on her bedside table. Then, she opened up her computer and checked her email, finding the details of everything she needed to do before starting at Ouran the following Monday.

"Here we go, mom," she said to the box as she began transcribing the email to a piece of paper. "Uniforms, books, supplies, classrooms, clubs to join. There's even a karate club, but it looks like it's male only…I guess they're more traditional here than home. I mean…this is home now."

She closed her eyes and tried to fight back the tears. This was home now. She quickly wiped them away and finished the list, grabbing her keys. Before walking outside and into the winter sunshine, she hesitated, and returned into the house to get a bag. She carefully placed the box inside of the bag and whispered, "I can't do this alone today." Then, she set off in the opposite direction of the school.

After walking a little over an hour and multiple checks of her map, she stood in front of a huge complex.

"Wow…" she said under her breath. "You could have at least told me about this, mama."

She stood in front of the Haninozuka estate, which looked like it covered tens to hundreds of acres of land. She walked through the front arch and was immediately greeted by two gentlemen.

"Good morning and welcome to the Haninozuka estate. What can we do for you today?" one of them asked.

"I was wondering if I could get a tour of the grounds," Amaya replied. _Although all I want is to see him._

"Do you have a pass? Only verified families and friends of students are allowed."

"A…pass? I don't think so," she said hesitantly, "but I am a student at Ouran Academy, class 3A. I don't have a student ID though."

"Oh, then you must be a friend of Haninozuka-sama and Morinozuka-sama. Please, right this way."

She was confused, but didn't correct the two gentlemen, following them through a garden and to what appeared to be a dojo. _So that's what they meant by students…_ she thought.

"Haninozuka-sama and Morinozuka-sama are both currently training, and they don't break for another hour. However, you are welcome to watch the training sessions and to view the gardens. Please, enjoy yourself."

After the two men left her, she peeked into the dojo and saw rows of men training through basics. There were two in front, a cute, short blonde haired boy and a handsome, tall dark haired boy, who seemed to be leading the rest of them.

 _Of course, no women here either._

Back in San Francisco, her dojo had been traditional but co-ed. Here it looked like they took things much more seriously. She watched as the smaller of the two boys in front stopped but kept giving orders. He began to walk around to check the form of the students in the back. After a command, everyone assumed the square horse position. The tall boy in front had excellent posture, she noticed, like a rock that couldn't be moved, but like a cobra, ready to strike at any moment. She looked around the room and saw that one boy didn't have his knees bent nearly far enough for a strong position. The small blonde boy saw this too and immediately shouted a command and kicked the boy's legs out from under him. Amaya smirked. She knew exactly what that was like and how embarrassing it was. It also made her itch to get back into the dojo to train.

As soon as she smirked, the tall boy in the front shifted his eyes to look at her. She made eye contact with him and froze. His gray eyes were unfathomable. His gaze penetrated deeply, as if he knew her secret: that she was foreign in her own hometown, unwelcomed by her own family. In a second that seemed like eternity, his eyes shifted back forward before the younger boy called the room to attention. Amaya took that moment to turn away and felt her eyes welling up with tears for the second time that day.

 _Mother…_ she thought sadly.

Amaya wandered around the grounds for a few more minutes, enjoying the cool air. Soon, she was lost within the compound, away from the front gates and away from the dojo. She lost track of time and stumbled upon a garden pathway that led toward what looked like a small temple. She entered the area and quickly realized where she was. It was the ground where her ancestors were buried. Haninozukas surrounded her.

Amaya wasn't religious like her mother was, but she had always been taught to respect the deceased. She knew she didn't belong. She wasn't a true member of the Haninozuka family, but their blood ran through her veins and so she knelt before them and offered a prayer, asking for acceptance and for guidance. She pulled the gilded box from her bag that contained her mother's ashes and placed it in front of her. She asked for forgiveness for her mother, and peace on both families, as tears once again sprang to her eyes. As she stood up, she heard a deep voice from behind her.

"You're not supposed to be here."

She caught her breath, surprised that she had let someone sneak up on her like that. She turned to face the owner of the voice and came face to face with the tall, handsome boy who had the ability to make her blood freeze with one glance. Upon meeting his eyes, goose bumps rose on her arms and she took it as a sign that he was right. She was indeed not welcome.

"I know," she replied softly, lifting her fingers to wipe tears from her eyes. She knelt down to gather her mother's box and her bag. As she did, the boy took the opportunity to move forward. He grabbed her arm before she could pick up the box. _He must think I'm stealing,_ she thought. The shrine had other ornate boxes and urns around it, and he must have mistaken her mother's box for one of the Haninozuka ancestors.

On instinct she moved her arm toward the weakest point of his grip, gripping his arm instead and twisting him into a rear lock. His eyes widened slightly, surprised at her movements, but he shoved her backwards before stepping forward, pivoting, and regaining his grip on her wrist and twisting her arm. She, now with her back to him, aimed for a rear kick to the groin, but he used his other hand to block the shot before putting her into a rear bearhug with her arms pinned. Then, he lifted her off of the ground.

"That's my mother! Let me go!" she cried. She brought her head down and swung it backwards as hard as she could, smashing into the boy's nose, before kicking his shin. He loosened his grip just enough that she slipped down to the ground, but before she could go any further he was on top of her, putting a lock around her neck. She turned her head, trying to breathe, and clawed at his arm, but the pressure didn't change. She tried to get her feet under her to flip him or loosen his grip, but he was much too tall and much too strong. Black spots began to appear in her vision as she struggled to breathe. _Crap!_ She thought. _I'm going to lose mom again…_ She took one final glance at the box she had promised to keep safe before passing out.


	2. A Question of Belonging

The first thing she noticed was a pounding in her head. She squeezed her eyes tighter, willing the throbbing to go away before opening them to take in her surroundings. She was lying on a mat on the ground with a pillow behind her head. The room was lit with natural light of the setting sun, casting a warm glow on everything. _How long was I out?_ She wondered. She pushed herself up on her elbows, wincing as her head throbbed. She was inside a dojo, this one a little smaller and more personal than the one she had observed earlier. There was a desk at one end, with a few picture frames. The tall boy who choked her out was also there, sitting on his knees and facing an older man. Her bag and the box that held her mother's ashes were in front of him.

"What were you doing at the Haninozuka shrine?" asked the older man, without even looking at her.

"Paying my respects," she replied.

"Who is this?" he asked, his eyes never leaving the box.

"My mother."

"Why did you bring her to the shrine?" he asked.

"To ask for forgiveness, and for peace…guidance…" she hesitated, "and to ask for acceptance."

The older man grunted in surprise and shifted his eyes to her. She met his eyes and gasped. "It's you!" she cried. His eyes were hers. She knew at once that she was sitting in the presence of her father.

"You are dismissed," he said, turning back to the young man. "Thank you, Morinozuka-san." The boy stood up slowly and walked out of the dojo, hardly making a sound. Her father began to pace, brooding in thought.

When Morinozuka disappeared, Amaya pushed herself up further and into a sitting position. It took a while before the old man spoke.

"You look exactly like her, but without her eyes," he began. "What did she name you?"

His words pierced through her heart. He didn't even know her name.

"Amaya. She named me Amaya."

"Night rain. Fitting."

"You're…you're…" she couldn't bring herself to say it, lest more tears begin to fall.

"I am your father, yes," he said. "I won't deny it. Your mother was a beautiful woman, but it was in a moment of weakness that you were begotten. She worked at one of the more popular teahouses here, and her common beauty enchanted me. It was a mistake that I have always regretted."

Another stab through her heart.

"Why are you here?" he asked. "Did you mean to disrespect the Haninozuka family by bringing your mother and bowing as a bastard to ask for their acceptance?"

"I…I…" she began, trying desperately not to be weak but being torn apart by his every word. "I'm here to attend Ouran Academy as an exchange student," she finally said. "I have received an academic scholarship."

He lowered his head and grimaced. "Of course she would want you to attend," he said under his breath. "I suppose she wants you to be a part of this family, even though your very birth keeps you from that status."

"She wrote…a letter," Amaya said, reaching toward her bag and pulling out an envelope. It was addressed to him, but she knew the contents. She had read the words over and over again until they were written on her heart. Her mother had loved him dearly. Although she knew their relationship wasn't fitting, she did not push him away when he made advances. Their romance had been short-lived, but she hoped that any love he had had for her could be extended toward Amaya.

Her father took the envelope from her, hesitating before opening it and unfolding the paper inside. He took his time to read the words carefully, scrutinizing them. The time that he took with the letter gave Amaya hope, but all was dashed when he tore the letter in half and crumpled the paper.

"I want you to stay away from the Haninozuka family. Your very existence brings shame upon this family."

The entire statement was unfair. Her birth and her existence were not in themselves shameful. His anger toward her stemmed from his own shame. Amaya finally found her voice. "My existence isn't shameful!" she told him. "Your blood runs through my veins just as much as any of your other children. I may be a reminder of what you think was a mistake, but I will not be looked upon as one of your failures. Let me show you that I'm worthy of the Haninozuka name!" It was the wrong thing to say.

"Get out," he growled under his breath. She didn't move. He turned toward her, rage in his face. "Get out!" he repeated. She met his eyes fiercely before collecting her mother and her bag, and walked out of the dojo. Upon exiting, she saw a figure out of the corner of her eye quickly disappear. She had almost missed it, but she was sure it was that boy, Morinozuka, who had been silently listening to her conversation with her father. Without another thought she left the Haninozuka compound and made her way back to Tomiju-sama's apartment.

* * *

On Monday morning, Amaya could hardly pull herself out of bed. She looked into the mirror and saw that her eyes were puffy from crying the evening before. She showered and did what she could to lessen the redness on her face. She dressed, braided her hair, and quickly ate the breakfast that Tomiju had left for her. She arrived to the school early to get her uniform and her books. She couldn't afford new items, so everything that she paid for was used. The books were still of good quality, but the dress she received was a size too large. As she changed into the hideous yellow school dress, she couldn't help but wonder why the Morinozuka boy had stayed to listen to her conversation with her father.

She glanced at her watch, realizing that she would be late for class. As she walked toward her classroom, Amaya was impressed with the grandiose buildings and wondered if her mother had ever walked these halls. It seemed unlikely, but Ouran Academy was one of the subjects her mother often brought up when Amaya brought home her grades. Her old high school hadn't been prestigious at all, and her mother had talked about Ouran like it was a palace. Amaya wasn't sure if that assessment was right or wrong; it surely seemed like a palace to her.

Upon reaching the doorway to classroom 3A, she hesitated.

"Are you the new student from America?" a voice asked from behind her. She turned to see her sensei, a middle-aged woman, smiling at her.

"Yes, I'm Amaya Matsura."

"Well, if you don't mind, could you please introduce yourself to the class? We only have one open seat left in the classroom, behind Haninozuka-sama." She ushered Amaya into the room and gestured to the back.

Amaya froze. Haninozuka? She turned to face the classroom and saw the smaller boy from the day before, holding a stuffed rabbit and looking at her with a confused expression. Next to him, with a blank face, was Morinozuka. She fussed with her skirt for a moment, suddenly embarrassed with the ill-fitting dress, before bowing to the class.

"Good morning everyone. My name is Amaya Matsura and I am an exchange student from San Francisco, in California. I hope that we will be able to become friends." On the last word, she looked up and made eye contact with Morinozuka. The Haninozuka boy was smiling at her while squeezing his bunny tightly. She made her way to the back of the classroom and sat behind the small boy. He turned to face her.

"It's nice to meet you!" he said, giggling. "I'm Mitsukuni Haninozuka! But everyone calls me Honey, for short! And this is Usa-chan! He's happy to meet you too!"

Amaya was taken aback. His demeanor was so different from the boy she saw yesterday in the dojo, and so very different from her father's. As she shook both his hand and the stuffed rabbit's, she could see that he, too, had the same eyes as her, and she wondered if he was her half-brother. It was hard to believe that he was her age. In this environment, especially with the bunny, he looked like a child.

"And this is Takashi Morinozuka, or Mori, for short!" he said, gesturing towards the tall, dark haired boy. Once again, Mori turned and made eye contact with her without speaking. Then, he turned back towards the front of the classroom as the lecture began.

After class had finished for lunch, Honey asked her if she was going to join any clubs.

"Well, I was thinking of looking in on the karate club…" She saw Mori stiffen at her words. Honey's eyes became slightly downcast.

"Oh…they don't allow girls in that club. It's traditionally a man's sport," he said.

"I noticed that. It's interesting, because in the United States, karate is always a co-ed sport."

"You did karate?" he asked, intrigued that she could practice martial arts.

"Yes, but probably not with such extensive training as here. I was hoping that I could get more practice and start competing again, but if I'm not allowed to train…" she trailed off.

"Well," mused Honey, "I could teach you!"

Before Amaya could even look surprised, Mori stated, "You don't have time, Mitsukuni."

"But Takashi," Honey responded, "I could train her at the Host Club!"

 _The host club?_ Amaya thought.

"After school you should come to the Third Music Room! That's where the Host Club meets!"

"Mitsukuni…that's not a good idea."

"Why not, Takashi?"

Mori glanced at Amaya. "The Host Club is no place for fighting. Kyoya and Tamaki won't be happy about it."

"Well why don't we ask them?" Honey responded innocently. "Chika-chan and I have fought there before!" He turned to Amaya. "You should still come! We have tea and cake!"

"Sure…I'll come," she said hesitantly.

Amaya couldn't focus that afternoon in class. The subject was chemistry, one of her favorites, and yet all she could think about were the two boys in front of her. It was a mystery…Mori and Honey were complete opposites, and yet seemed like best friends. Was Mori always so cold and quiet? And why was Honey so kind to her? He seemed to have no idea of her position in regards to him.

 _He probably doesn't even know that we're related_ , she thought sadly. Why would her father tell him that he had a half-sister? _It's probably better left a secret_.

After class ended for the afternoon, Honey turned around and reminded her of the room. "We start at three so don't be late!" he said cheerfully.

"I'll do my best!" she smiled, but she couldn't promise being on time…her plan had been to stop by the karate club to see if they would be willing to accept a girl.

"Good! We'll see you soon!"

* * *

Amaya pulled her old karate uniform out of her bag. The thick, fabric was worn with age and use. She had been an instructor at her school in San Francisco, so her name was embroidered on the front, but even that thread was losing its color. Still, she was proud of what she had done to earn her instructor's uniform. She stripped off the yellow dress in a bathroom and changed into the uniform, tying her black belt around her waist. It felt comfortable, like she was back at home.

 _No_ , she thought, shaking her head quickly. _This is home now._

As she neared the campus dojo, she heard kiai's as some of the students warmed up. She slipped off her shoes and entered the room, keenly aware that she was the only female. All of the boys stopped and looked at her in her gi, and some of them even laughed.

"Can I help you? We're about to start training."

She turned to see a middle school boy with glasses who was apparently about to start class.

"Hello. My name is Amaya Matsura, and I am new to the school. I wanted to know how I could go about joining the karate club."

Some of the boys who had overheard her started snickering. The boy in front of her did not, but said rather seriously, "This is a male sport. We don't allow females to train with us, and besides, you probably wouldn't be able to keep up."

"If I am able to keep up would you consider letting me join?" she asked, without skipping a beat.

He narrowed his eyes. "You'd have to surpass me," he said, "and then maybe I'd consider it."

"Then I challenge you!" she said forcefully.

"She's challenging Yasuchika-sama? Does she even know he's a Haninozuka?" she overheard one of the boys say.

 _This must be 'Chika-chan'_ , she thought. _If I can win, maybe I can earn a place in the club and perhaps acceptance..._

The rest of the club quickly cleared a space in the dojo as Amaya faced off against Yasuchika. The fight began.

He came at her quickly in hand-to-hand combat, clearly giving her everything he had from the start. He was quick, but so was she, and she kept up with him, throwing as many punches as he did. As soon as he saw that she was quick, he feinted and swept her feet from under her, but she bent backwards and did a back handspring to escape. He threw a tornado kick, which she blocked before grabbing the ankle that had come towards her face. With a quick twist she got him off balance, but he used the move to roll forward and pull her with him. As she fell, he circled around on his hands and kicked her in the stomach, hard. She flew backwards, trying to breathe, and went in for another punch. As he tried to block it she ducked, throwing a forearm into his ribcage.

The fight went on like this for another fifteen minutes. Even though the match was even in skill, Amaya was rusty. She wasted too much energy with each punch, and her stamina was low. At the same time, Yasuchika looked like he hadn't even broken a sweat. Another fifteen minutes passed. As time went on, Amaya's punches grew weaker as she grew more tired. Finally, she made a wrong move and he locked her arm into submission. Everyone in the room was silent. Amaya was angry, but also knew that she had been squarely defeated.

"There is no place for you here," Yasuchika finally said to her.

 _Just as there is no place for me anywhere else_ , she thought.

Amaya stood on weakened legs and bowed to him in respect. "The Haninozuka family is well-deserving of their reputation," she said. "Thank you for allowing me this fight."

There was mumbling all around the dojo as she left. "She managed to stay in that fight for thirty minutes!" "It's incredible, how well matched they were!" "I almost wouldn't mind letting her train, she's way better than most of us are…"

"Quiet!" yelled Yasuchika. "Formation!"

"Yes, Sir!"

Amaya pulled her watch out of her bag and looked at the time. She was definitely late for the host club. She didn't bother to change out of her uniform. Hopefully Honey-senpai wouldn't mind.

As she climbed the stairs towards the Third Music Room, she could tell that she had exerted herself far too much during the fight. Her legs were wobbling with each step that she took, and she marveled at how much stamina Yasuchika possessed. If she could only train with the club, her stamina might increase and she was sure that she could surpass his skill. She felt bruises beginning to form on her ribcage and only hoped that she had given him some in return.

Finally she reached the door of the music room.

 _The Host Club. What sort of club is the Host Club?_

She pushed the door open slightly and was met with the smell of roses, green tea, and freshly baked cakes. Her mouth began to water as she breathed in deeply and pushed the door open further.

"Why hello, and welcome to the host club," a soothing voice said. It came from a tall blonde boy, who had noticed her entrance but still had his back turned. "What brings you here today, my prin—" he turned around and saw Amaya, with disheveled hair, sweat dripping from her forehead, and still in her karate uniform. His eyes went wide and he dropped the cup he was holding. It broke as it hit the ground. "Prin— Prin— Prin—" He couldn't seem to get the words out.

"I think he means to say 'princess,' but you'll have to forgive him. You don't quite look the part," said another boy, also tall with dark hair and glasses.

"Senpai! You have to be more careful!" a girl, dressed in the same uniform as the boys, said to the first tall blonde one. She began sweeping up the pieces on the ground.

"What's all the commotion," two boys said in unison. They looked at her and immediately burst out into laughter.

"Sorry!" One of them said, "but we don't normally see girls who look so out of place here!"

 _What about that girl?_ Amaya thought to herself, raising an eyebrow at the cross-dresser.

"Amaya-chan! You made it! It looks like you got beat up real bad at the dojo though…how many of the boys tried to fight you?" he giggled, "I told you girls weren't allowed! Didn't I tell her Takashi?"

"Hn," he replied, silent as ever. He was the only one that wasn't either horrified at her appearance or laughing at her, but rather gave her the steely look with his grey eyes she had quickly gotten accustomed to.

"One," she replied to him quietly, balling her hands into fists. "I fought one."

"Only one?" Honey giggled even more, "You have quite a lot to learn!" he said.

"Yeah, one. It was your brother."

Honey stopped giggling and looked at her more seriously.

"You fought…Chika-chan?" Honey asked.

"Yeah," Amaya said, trying to smile and straightening her uniform. "He's got me beat on stamina, but we were pretty matched in speed. I just hope he's got as many bruises as I do."

"Wait, Honey-sempai, who is this, exactly?" asked the tall blonde after he had recovered from his initial shock.

"This is Amaya-chan! She's new in class with me and Takashi! She came all the way from California to be here!"

"Ah, so you're the new exchange student," the dark haired boy with glasses stated. "Top of your class, United States female martial arts champion for your age group, favorite subjects are chemistry and world history, you speak three languages, but your family pedigree is…well, common, like Haruhi here. I'm Kyoya Ootari, class 2A, vice-president of the host club."

"Like he said, I'm Haruhi Fujioka, also here on a scholarship. Class 1A," said the shorter girl, glaring at Kyoya. "This is Tamaki Suou, 2A," she said, gesturing toward the tall blonde, "and Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin are the twins, 1A with me. It seems like you already know Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai."

"I'm pleased to meet you all," Amaya said. "If you don't mind, is there a place where I can change?"

"Yeah!" Honey said. "Right around the corner! And then you should join me and Takashi for some cake!"

"I hope she's prettier when she's not sweating," she heard one of the twins whisper as she made her way to change.

"It's a shame. No girl should ever sweat that much," said Tamaki, "She seems like quite the tomboy."

Amaya pulled the curtain closed in the changing room and began taking off her sweaty uniform. She took a towel out of her bag and wiped sweat off of her face and neck before putting on deodorant and changing back into the yellow dress. She sighed, disappointed with the ill-fit. It was not flattering to her figure in the slightest. She undid the braid she had put her hair in that morning and brushed out her long, dark brown locks. Her hair had grown so long that it fell to just above her waist, just like her mother's before she died. Her normally straight hair was now wavy from drying in the braids. She parted her hair on the side and then reached into her bag to put on her favorite ring—an heirloom from her mother.

She stepped back into the music room and took in her surroundings. Each of the boys (as well as the girl) she had met before were sitting in different lounge areas, surrounded by females in the hideous yellow uniforms, albeit everyone else's looked tailored to fit her individual shape.

"My princess," she overheard Tamaki say, "you are indeed the flower of my heart that is in full bloom. What I wouldn't do to be by your side always, fighting through the hardships and enjoying the simple pleasures of your company." He held the chin of a younger girl close to his face. She was obviously swooning for him.

"Oh, Tamaki-senpai!" she said dreamily.

The twins were acting similarly on the next couch over, but instead of toward the girls, toward each other.

"Oh no, did I make you angry, Hikaru?" Kaoru asked, brushing his fingers along his brother's jaw line. Hikaru moved closer, his lips almost touching Kaoru's.

"You know you could never hurt me, Kaoru," he said. "Besides, even if you did, I would always forgive you. We would make up, and you know that making up is always the best part…"

The three ladies sitting with them cried out in joy, their cheeks also turning bright red with excitement.

 _Twin…cest?_ Amaya thought.

"Honey-senpai," said another girl. "Our family just hired a brand new baker, well-known for his cakes! I had him bake a special one just for you! Would you like to try it?"

"Well, okay…" said Honey, looking in curiosity at the small cake before him. He picked up his fork and took a bite, slowly tasting the food while he chewed. After he swallowed, he slowly looked up at the girl before bursting out, "That's the best cake ever!"

The girl, along with her friend, squealed with delight.

"You look much happier, now that you've cleaned up a bit." Haruhi looked at her and smiled. "Would you like a cup of tea?" she asked, gesturing to an empty table with two teacups and a teapot.

"I would love one," Amaya replied. "Haruhi…what exactly…does the host club do?"

"Well," she began as she started pouring tea. "If you ask me it's really dumb, but the male members entertain all the young ladies in the school. They also make money off of it."

"But what about you? You're a member…but you're a girl." She saw Tamaki and the twins freeze before they rushed over to the table.

"Haruhi is not a girl! Can't you tell? He's looking extra manly today!" Tamaki cried.

"Yeah Haruhi! Can't you see all that muscle tone in his arms?" One of the twins asked, touching Haruhi's bicep.

Haruhi stared with surprised in her eyes at Amaya. "How can you tell?" she asked. The three boys gulped loudly as Kyoya walked over to join them.

"I mean…it's not obvious to you guys? Her demeanor is so different from the rest of you. She's much more perceptive of emotion."

Tamaki scooted awkwardly closer to her and began speaking through the corner of his mouth. "It's kind of a secret so you can't tell anyone."

"I'm trying to pay off a debt for breaking an expensive vase, and the only way I can do that is if I pretend to be a boy," Haruhi said angrily, pushing Tamaki's face away.

"You're much more insightful than the average girl in this school," Kyoya began, writing some things down in his notebook. "It's interesting how easily you commoners can perceive situations. I wonder if that's a general trait?"

"Maybe not a trait, but perhaps you could correlate monetary possessions with lack of emotional perceptiveness," Amaya suggested dully. If every other person at that school couldn't recognize that Haruhi was a girl, something was clearly wrong.

"Wha—WHAT?" Tamaki cried, insulted. "I'll have you know, we take our duties rather seriously! I care emotionally about every single female that comes to our club. It's our job to make them happy, and perceive how to make them happy!" He pulled a flip chart out of nowhere, with figures and dollar signs written on the pages. "In fact, the money that we spend on this club aids in creating comfortable environments where our girls are free to let their emotions out and relax from the daunting pressures of their every day lives!" He puffed his chest out and kept going, although no one was really paying attention.

"Tamaki's talkative, isn't he?" interrupted Honey, grabbing her hand. "Come sit with me and Takashi! We won't be boring. Also, you look really pretty with your hair like that!"

Amaya blushed slightly at Honey's words, while Tamaki fell over in disgrace, scooting towards a corner in the room, wrapped in misery and rejection.

"What's your favorite type of cake?" Honey asked as soon as they sat down. Mori sipped on his tea, hardly noticing them.

"Um…well…I really like cheesecake…" Amaya said thoughtfully. Suddenly, the rest of the club had gathered around her again.

"Cheesecake?!" They all exclaimed, clearly intrigued.

"What type of cheese do you make cheesecake with?" asked Haruhi, thinking aloud. "Mozzarella? Parmesan? Brie? Cheddar? It must be a savory cake!" she concluded.

Amaya laughed. "No, it's sweet! Sweet and creamy, made with lots of cream cheese and sugar and usually made with a graham cracker crust! You can put chocolate in it, fruit in it…but I'd have to say my favorite is New York cheesecake, with strawberries on top…but I make a pretty mean triple chocolate cheesecake that comes in a close second. Oh! But just last month I made my friend a blackberry cheesecake for her birthday…with a Cabernet Sauvignon ganache! That was delicious!" They boys' mouths were watering when she was done.

"Cabernet...that's the fancy wine that mom drinks when she's done with photoshoots," mused one of the twins.

"Wait…you made a cheesecake…you can bake?" asked Tamaki.

Suddenly, Honey was at her knees and grabbing her hands. He looked up at her with huge eyes, giving her his cutest face. "Amaya-chan, will you pleeeeeeaaaaasssseee make us a cheesecake like that?! None of us have ever tried one."

"Oh, Honey-senpai! It's really hard to resist those eyes!" she caught herself quickly and looked away. His eyes were her eyes, too. They both had their father's eyes. She used to beg her mother with that same look when she was younger, and her mother could hardly ever refuse. How could this Haninozuka boy not notice how similar they were? Before anyone could notice her lapse, she looked up quickly, meeting Mori's stare. He was still sitting silently sipping his tea, but gazing at her critically nonetheless. The words her father had said to her came to mind. _I want you to stay away from the Haninozuka family!_ A surge of anger passed through her, and with that, boldness.

"Morinozuka-senpai," she said, addressing him. "If I made a cheesecake would you try it?"

He continued to stare at her but remained silent.

She turned back to Honey. "Well, there's your answer," she said. Honey's eyes began to water.

"BUT TAKASHI!" he cried, turning to his friend.

"I'll eat a piece," said Mori, and immediately Honey was consoled.

"Then I will make a cheesecake," she said, smiling at Honey's happy expression. Immediately, she felt guilty. Here, her half-brother sat before her, completely unaware that their friendship was taboo according to her father. By talking with him and making him promises, she was manipulating a friendship to spite her father. She looked back to Mori, who alone knew her position. He hadn't taken his eyes off of her. Perhaps she should leave the entire situation alone.

"By the way, Honey-senpai," Amaya said, "Maybe Morinozuka-senpai is right. This doesn't seem like the place for training."

"Are you sure? Because we can make it work!"

"I'm sure," Amaya said, smiling. She looked at her watch, surprised at how late it had become. "Actually, I better head home. I told Tomiju-sama that I would cook dinner tonight…"

"Well will you come by the club tomorrow?" he asked her innocently.

"Honey, we're closed tomorrow for the Christmas dance preparations. Haruhi needs to learn how to waltz," Kyoya said.

"Oh yeah!" Honey said. "We have a dance party at the end of the week. Do you wanna come? You can be my special guest!"

"Oh…" she said hesitantly, taken aback by the invitation. She silently cursed to herself. How in the world was she supposed to stay away from Honey? It was so hard to resist his eyes. "I suppose I could come…" After another momentary look at Mori's face, she wasn't sure if she had given the right answer.

"You do have a dress, right?" asked one of the twins. Kaoru, she thought. "It's a pretty formal event."

"Of course she doesn't have a fancy dress! She's a commoner like Haruhi!" said the other twin, Hikaru.

"I have a dress!" she said, but they weren't listening.

"We're going to be dressing Haruhi anyway. We could let her borrow one of the dresses from mom's collection."

"I have a dress…" she repeated, but they still weren't listening.

"It's settled then! We'll bring you some to choose from! Can you do your own make-up, or should we do that for you, too?" Kaoru asked.

"Naw, don't bother with it. We'll fix you up with everything you need. Meet us here at 3 pm on the 24th!" Hikaru said. "Just make sure you take a shower beforehand."

Amaya sniffed herself. "Do I smell that bad?" she asked, wondering if her scuffle with Yasuchika had really made her sweat that much. "Okay then…I'll see you all on the 24th."

She stood up to leave and then turned back around, addressing Mori.

"Morinozuka-senpai," she began. "Before I go I actually have a question for you." The rest of the host club turned and looked at her expectantly. "It's…it's about today's history homework, and I heard you were good at that subject, so I thought you could help me. Do you mind…coming into the hallway? I don't want to bother the guests still here…" she trailed off.

He set down his teacup and stood up, walking her out of the room. When the door closed after them, they stood facing each other silently. Amaya tried to meet his gaze, but at this proximity had a hard time. He smelled like green tea and cedar, and she was acutely aware of how muscular he was beneath his uniform. She forced herself to look him straight in the eyes. She cleared her throat.

"I don't have a homework question," she began.

"I know," he responded.

Silence. She continued.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about yesterday. You seem close to the Haninozuka family, and I wanted to apologize if I was disrespectful to them." She sighed deeply, turning her head and gazing in a different direction. "But you see, I'd always dreamed of having a father, or a brother or a sister, and finding out that I belong somewhere gave me hope. I know you heard us talking yesterday. I don't know what I did to cause you to be angry with me, but I'll stay away from Honey and his brother. I'll figure out an excuse to miss the dance. You won't need to worry about that. It turns out I'm just the wrong puzzle piece here. I don't fit in. Anywhere."

"He likes you," Mori said.

"You mean Honey?" she asked, looking back to Mori. "He doesn't know, does he? He doesn't know that I'm his half-sister?" Mori's silence answered her question.

"Well then," she said, shouldering her bag and turning to leave.

"You shouldn't stay away from him."

Amaya turned back and looked at Mori, confused. "Why?"

"Because he likes you. You promised him cake."

"Then you won't tell him? You won't make him stay away from me?"

"He follows his own heart."

"I don't want him to know. I don't want him to know that I'm his illegitimate sister." Her eyes began to well up with tears. Honey was the kindest person she had met that day, welcoming her and including her when she felt like she didn't belong.

They looked at each other in silence for a few more moments. She broke it first.

"Thank you, Mori-senpai." She paused. "Also, you promise you'll eat a piece?" she asked, referring to the cheesecake. She didn't wait for an answer and began to walk away.

The corners of Takashi's lips turned up into a smile before he went back into the music room.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you to everyone who read the first chapter, followed, and favorited.

Thank you Mamabug and RTTree for comments/reviews! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

I'm generally following the manga rather than the anime, although I'm mixing up the timelines a little bit to suit Amaya's needs, as well as my own. Characters introduced in the manga, but not the anime, appear here, such as Yorihisa Haninozuka, Satoshi and Akira Morinozuka. I am also taking liberties with characters that aren't specifically mentioned in the Ouran series, such as Honey's mother. The Ouran series is owned by Bisco Hatori, and I thank her for making a delightful series that allows quite a bit of room to play with.

A note about the cheesecake...I'm not sure if it's a common dessert in Japan. Maybe the Host Club knows since they're super duper affluent and can afford all things rare and uncommon, but I have a friend from France who was a foreign exchange student in the US, and she had never heard of cheesecake before because cream cheese is apparently hard to come by in France. I figured it might be the same in Japan. If anyone knows, please tell me! Although it probably won't change in my story...cheesecake becomes a recurring theme...


	3. The Fairy Dance

That week, Amaya kept wondering about Mori's relationship with Honey and the entire Haninozuka family. She also couldn't help but wonder what the twins were thinking when they offered her a dress for the Christmas party. She wasn't that poorly off, especially from the settlement that she had received from her mother's life insurance after her death. She had been able to afford the school's uniform and all the books she needed, although she had bought them used. Thankfully, Tomiju was an expert at sewing, and she was able to take in Amaya's school uniform to make it much more acceptable and flattering to her figure.

She hadn't been back to the Host Club since that first Monday because they were apparently closed for dancing lessons. She also hadn't really talked to Mori or Honey in class. She was jumping in at the middle of that term's curriculum, although catching up wasn't the hard part. In San Francisco, she had taken advanced chemistry and math courses at a nearby community college, done research as a high school student in a science lab at Stanford, and had even taken some extra online language courses that Stanford had offered. She was fluent in English, Japanese, and German, so she had signed up to take Latin at Ouran. Her biggest learning curve at Ouran was in understanding how to fit into Japanese culture. Affluent Japanese culture, to be exact. She found she was _very_ out of place. She had yet to assimilate to the way the classroom was run and was uncomfortable with all the formalities. Additionally, she felt she related poorly to many of the other girls in her class because of her disparity in wealth. She didn't know what it was like to run a house of servants, or shop at the high quality fashion stores, or have the pressure of marrying well and learning to run a well-to-do household. Additionally, that wasn't the life she wanted. In fact, she didn't know what she wanted out of her future. She only knew that she wanted to fit in and belong somewhere.

Her refuge came in the form of a dojo. She had found out that the dojo was free for use after the karate club ended for the day, so instead of joining another club, she went there to practice on her own. The school's equipment was top of the line, and even had a speaker system that she could play music on. She practiced for two hours every night, trying to further her strength and stamina in an effort to surpass Yasuchika. She had seen some signs posted on one of the walls about a tournament in the spring, and she was hoping she would be strong enough to compete by then. Although the school's club was male only, the tournament was city wide and allowed women to compete.

By the time Friday rolled around, she was exhausted both physically and mentally from the week. At 3 pm, however, she knocked on the door of the Third Music Room, albeit with her own makeup and her own dress. There was no answer, but she heard noise coming from the inside and pushed the door open. She stood in shock at the sight that met her.

Tamaki and the twins were literally fighting over a suit, trying to decide which one would look better on Haruhi, while she stood on the side in a dress shirt, holding about ten ties with different patterns. Kyoya was on the phone making last minute food preparations, while Mori was holding Honey high over his head, trying to keep him from getting involved in the tousle. No one noticed Amaya come in.

"Hey Haruhi. What's going on?"

"They couldn't decide on what suit they wanted me to wear. Tamaki-senpai had one with coat tails but Kaoru and Hikaru said it looked too feminine."

"I think coat tails would have looked good," she responded. Amaya looked around and saw several other suits on mannequins. She noticed a brown one with a blue vest that looked a little smaller than the rest of them.

"Why don't you put that one on?" she suggested. "It looks like it'll fit you better than the ones they're arguing over anyway."

Haruhi nodded and tossed the ties aside. She grabbed the suit and went to change. The three stooges were still fighting.

"Amaya-chan!" Honey yelled from above Mori's head. "Merry Christmas Eve!" he said. Mori walked over and placed Honey down in front of her.

"Will I get the pleasure of dancing with you tonight?" she asked Honey, curtsying in her yellow school dress.

"Well of course, silly! You can dance with all of us! With heels you'll be the right height for Takashi, too!" He took her hands and began twirling her around in a circle while humming a tune.

Haruhi walked back in, dressed in the suit Amaya had picked for her. Tamaki and the twins stopped fighting.

"Hey," Hikaru said, "That one doesn't look too bad on her."

"Yeah. She looks like a gentleman," responded Kaoru.

"My daughter! All grown up and looking like a man!" Tamaki cried, tears streaming down his face.

 _This is the club that Morinozuka joined? On purpose?_ Amaya wondered.

"Hey Amaya-senpai, you ready to try on some dresses?" asked Hikaru mischievously.

"Uh…heh…I actually brought my own, but I appreciate—"

The twins cut her off, revealing a vast array of dresses on mannequins behind a giant curtain that had been put up in the middle of the room. Kaoru had taken her dress from her arms and was critically judging it.

"Yeah, you can't wear this," he said. "It's too cheap. I mean, it's made of a polyester blend!" He took a silver lighter out of his pocket and set the edge on fire. "This fabric smells like plastic when it burns."

"Hey! I happen to like that dress!" she exclaimed, flabbergasted that they would actually set her dress on fire.

"Well, looks like you need to pick a new one!"

"Don't worry about it. You can keep whichever one you pick. These are last season's fashions anyway."

She began to look through the rows of dresses, gasping as she touched the material. Each dress was more extravagant than the next, and made with the highest quality fabrics. She couldn't even begin to wonder about how much these dresses cost. Some of the designs were outright scandalous.

"This is haute couture," she stated. "I wouldn't even look good in most of these, and it wouldn't be appropriate anyway! Isn't there anything simpler?"

"Well," began Kaoru. "The simplest one we have is in that corner." He pointed to the far corner of the room, literally at darkness.

"You put a dress in the corner?" she asked flatly.

"It's such an old style that we didn't think it should see the light of day," Hikaru stated matter-of-factly.

Amaya walked over to the corner and saw the outline of the mannequin. Upon closer inspection, she gasped. It was love at first sight.

* * *

Amaya walked to the entrance of the Large Hall a few minutes after five. She entered after the beginning speeches, and the Host Club members were already greeting the girls. As she moved forward into the light, she heard Tamaki pause, catching his breath when he beheld her. In fact, all of members, except for Haruhi, had taken pause from their activities to look at her.

As much as the twins had begged, she insisted to do her own hair and makeup. She was already wearing one of their dresses, she argued. It was the least they could do to let her get ready on her own.

"Well you look ravishing, don't you?" came a voice from behind her. It was Kyoya. "Interesting look, for a tomboy. May I ask for the first dance?"

Amaya smiled as Tamaki and the twins seethed in rage at not being the first to dance with her. "Of course, Kyoya-sama."

She knew that she could clean up well, but the dress was the finishing touch. It was ivory in color with wide, high neckline and a lace bodice. With three-quarter length sleeves, it was perfect for the winter. Below her waist, the chiffon skirt flowed downward in an A-line fashion, showing off enough of her curves while maintaining a classic style. The back of the dress had a keyhole, so she had done her hair in a French twist decorated with jeweled bobby pins that sparkled in the light. Finally, her makeup was soft and shimmery, giving her the effect of being all woman and all fairy at the same time.

As they started to waltz, Kyoya began talking.

"Honey seems to be quite enthralled with you," he said.

"Yes, he does. He's been so friendly to me so far. As you all have been."

"I can't help but notice though, although you and he have very different features, you have incredibly similar eyes," Kyoya said pointedly.

Amaya stumbled, but Kyoya caught her before she fell, twirling her in time to the music.

"H…how…?" she stuttered.

"It's a very well kept secret, but there were rumors about Yorihisa Haninozuka's affair immediately after his wife conceived Honey. To a woman who worked in a teahouse, no less. But that's really all it boiled down to: rumors."

Amaya remained silent and in thought. This boy knew more about her scandalous birth than she did. "So you know," she finally said.

"Yes, and the so called rumors kept the family in turmoil for a while. It nearly broke down the loyalties between the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families. You're surprised? The Morinozuka family actually used to serve the Haninozuka family until they were joined by marriage a few generations ago. In fact, since then, many branches of both families have joined in marriage. There must be something quite captivating about a master-servant relationship, especially when loyalty becomes love. Yes, not only are Honey and Mori best friends, they're also cousins; Mori-senpai's eldest aunt is Honey's mother. It must be quite a shock to you."

Amaya was indeed shaken at this information. Her existence was not only dirt on the face of the Haninozuka family, but also the Morinozuka family.

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked.

"Well, I didn't think you knew about the precarious situation you are in with your friendship to Honey, and with Mori, for that matter. For your own benefit, as well as the benefit of the club, it's better that you're informed."

"What are you saying?" she asked. "That I shouldn't come to the club anymore?"

"Oh that's not what I'm saying at all," he said calmly. "I'd rather like to see this play out."

The dance ended.

"Well, you've given me a lot to think about. Thank you for the dance, Kyoya-sama."

Honey and Mori were cousins. No wonder they were so close to the point of being inseparable. Amaya wandered to the window that overlooked the courtyard, deep in thought. Honey's mother was a member of the Morinozuka family…and her own mother had been the 'other woman.'

"Amaya-chan!"

She turned around at the sound of Honey's voice, but had to look up to see his face because he was riding on Mori's shoulders.

"Come play a game with us! It's casino night!" he said excitedly. "Amaya-chan?"

She hadn't smiled her normal smile when he said hello, so Honey was clearly concerned. Amaya was just standing there looking at the two of them, obviously in another world.

"Takashi, can you put me down?" he asked his tall friend. Mori obliged.

"Amaya-chan! What's wrong!" he exclaimed, grabbing her hand. As soon as he touched her she opened her eyes wider, coming back to reality.

"Oh! Of course Honey-senpai. Let's go play some games."

He giggled. "Yay! You look really pretty tonight, Amaya-chan! Doesn't she look pretty Takashi?"

Immediately Amaya blushed. "N-n-no…" she tried to say, not wanting Mori to answer.

"Yes."

Amaya was so embarrassed that she hardly registered his word before Honey whisked her off to the blackjack table.

She felt better as soon as she started having fun. She won the blackjack game and then danced with Honey, which just meant twirling around in wide circles all across the dance floor. After twirling so many times with Honey, she needed something to drink to ward off the dizziness that ensued. She was making small talk with some of the younger girls when Tamaki asked her to dance. He swept her off her feet, making a grand appearance.

"You look stunning tonight," he began. "Truly like a white lily, pure and radiant. Almost like an innocent bride, awaiting her love at the alter."

"Tamaki-sama, you know you won't win me over with compliments. We both know I'm still a tomboy at heart."

"I'm not trying to win you over," he said. "I'm simply stating the truth. If you'd rather me talk of something else, then I do have a favor."

"What might that be?" she asked, as he turned her so her skirts billowed outward.

"Will you befriend Haruhi, and perhaps give her feminine company?"

Amaya began to laugh. "You're worried about Haruhi having female friends? Why in the world would you then make her masquerade as a boy?"

"I don't want her to have just any female friends. I want her to be friends with people she enjoys. I think you two would get along well."

Amaya considered his words. Haruhi would probably be more down to earth than the rest of the students at Ouran. Perhaps the commoners should stick together.

"Well if that's the case then perhaps I'll request her at the Host Club more often. That would help pay off her debt, wouldn't it?"

"That, my dear, would be lovely."

He spun her outward and let go of her hand unexpectedly. She found herself in the arms of one of the twins, who, without skipping a beat, continued the waltz.

"We can't let the king have all the fun, now can we?" he asked.

"I know this is going to sound rude of me, but I haven't known you and your brother for too long. So…which twin are you?"

"If you had to hazard a guess, who would you pick?" he asked mischievously.

"You two can't be exactly alike…"

She stared into his eyes for a few moments, recalling her first day at the Host Club. The only difference she had noticed between the two was in the timber of their voices…Kaoru had a lighter tone, while Hikaru's voice was huskier. However, without hearing them side-by-side, it was impossible for her to tell.

 _What other differences are there?_ she wondered. She went with her gut feeling.

"You're Kaoru." He gave no reaction indicating that she was right or wrong.

"Your reasoning?" he asked.

"I have no reason," she responded, grinning. "Just a feeling."

He let go of her hand and turned her into the arms of his twin.

"Good evening," he said. Upon hearing his voice, Amaya knew she had guessed correctly.

"Good evening, Hikaru."

"And how do you know that I'm Hikaru?" he asked her with a sly smile.

"Oh, just a feeling," Amaya responded, her grin growing wider. "The perceptiveness of a commoner, perhaps."

As the waltz ended, Hikaru left her by the Russian roulette table and disappeared into a back room with the rest of the Host Club. After a game with some other ladies, Amaya wandered over to the window, thinking again about the information Kyoya had disclosed to her and what that meant. She looked down at her mother's ring, a ruby set in gold filigree, shaped into three hearts. It had been her mother's prized possession.

 _I miss you, mom. But so far Japan is great. You always told me that life was messy, and boy, it sure is. I know the truth isn't always easy, but I wish I knew the truth about you. Why did have to leave me so soon?_

Amaya's years growing up had been centered on her education and her well-being, rather than her mother's. Her mother had done everything possible to provide for Amaya, and had rarely divulged anything about her past.

 _I just wish I could talk with you one more time._

Her reverie ended when Mori and Honey joined her at the window.

"Time to count down!" Honey exclaimed. A few other girls also joined them as everyone counted down together. When they reached zero, lights turned on all around the courtyard outside, illuminating a young man and woman who seemed to have just met there. They looked up, surprised, but happy.

"Yay!" "It's so beautiful!" "How lovely!" all of the other girls exclaimed. Amaya couldn't help but smile herself. The couple looked so happy together. They weren't alone, like she was.

After a few moments, the music began playing again.

"Oh!" cried Honey, "This is the last waltz of the evening! Amaya, did you get to dance with everyone?"

"I think so," she said, lying.

"Did you get to dance with her, Takashi?" he asked his friend.

 _Damn it, Honey!_ "Oh that's right. I don't think I danced with Haruhi, either. I heard she practiced hard for tonight," she said, trying to get out of dancing with Mori.

"Well, it looks like Haruhi hurt her foot so she can't dance," Honey said, glancing over to where Haruhi was sitting. Her foot was wrapped. "Looks like it's just you and Takashi!"

"Shall we?" Mori's deep voice asked. He held out his arm for her.

"You're gonna look so cute! You're the perfect heights for each other!" Honey said excitedly.

Amaya took Mori's arm reluctantly. _It's only one dance._

Mori led her to the dance floor and they assumed positions. She was once again hit by the proximity as the smell of fresh cut cedar and green tea leaves came to greet her. He began to lead.

"Relax," he said. "It's hard to dance when you're stiff."

"Oh," she said. How could she relax when she was so close to him? How could he relax, either? She was sure that he didn't like her and was only accommodating her for Honey's sake.

He began adding some more dance steps to the basic waltz, twirling her and promenading her back and forth. She didn't know all of the moves, but he was easy to follow, and she began to relax as she eased into the music. The skirt of her dress twirled with their movements in an elegant fashion, and Amaya once again began to enjoy her evening. She smiled after a particularly complicated turn and looked up at Mori, immediately feeling blood rush to her face. He hadn't taken his eyes off of her while they were dancing, and his face was blank. She quickly looked away.

 _He doesn't look like he's enjoying this…maybe I shouldn't enjoy this either._

"Do you like dancing?" she asked him, quietly watching the rest of the dance floor, not willing to look at him again.

"It can be fun," he said, still looking at her. His movements began to change as he incorporated more special steps into the basic box step. At first Amaya was afraid she wouldn't be able to follow, but he held her so securely and made it so easy for her that she quickly let go of that fear.

"Place your hands on my shoulders," he said.

"Wha—oh!" she cried, as he placed his hands on her waist and lifted her up while stepping in a circle. As she came down, she realized they had now commandeered the center of the dance floor and that others were moving to give them space. She could see Honey cheering from the corner of her eye. As Mori began spinning her and lifting her and twirling her in every direction, she couldn't help but appreciate what control he had over the waltz. She hadn't known that the dance could be so incredibly elaborate.

As the waltz ended, he dipped her downward and held her there for a moment, forcing her to make eye contact lest they look awkward. It felt like an eternity. Then, he lifted her back up and spun her outward, letting go of her hand. He bowed, while she curtsied, and with that the dance was over.

Honey skipped up to them. "That was beautiful!" he said. "Takashi, I didn't know you could waltz so well, and we even practiced together!"

"It's because you prefer to lead," he told his small friend evenly.

Amaya stifled a giggle. Imagining Honey leading Mori in the waltz was terrifying. Thinking of Mori being flung around in circles by someone who looked like a small child was more humor than she could bear.

"All right! It's time to announce the winner of the evening!"

Amaya registered Tamaki's voice, but decided to slip out of the ballroom while everyone else was paying attention to his announcement. Deep in thought and not quite thinking about her direction, she ended up at the campus dojo. She took off her heels and stepped onto the raised deck, relishing the cool floor as it touched her bare feet. All she could think about was that waltz. Her feet began moving in a box step as she twirled by herself to music only she could hear.

She was a flurry of emotion. She was still in stunned about what Kyoya had told her, which made that last dance all the more bewildering. As much as it seemed like Mori wasn't enjoying the dance, he surely hadn't whisked anyone else around the ballroom like that. Was it only for Honey's pleasure? Mori knew that she was the illegitimate child of the Haninozuka family. He knew that her parents' relationship had almost torn the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families apart, almost broken the relationship between his aunt and uncle. He was loyal to the Haninozuka family, which meant that he should spurn her even more. Why wasn't he? Was it because of Honey? Was he being kind to her because of Honey?

As an afterthought to the drama surrounding her relationship with the Haninozuka family, she found herself in a daydream. If she were a legitimate child of the Haninozuka family, perhaps she and Mori would be engaged…

 _What in the world am I thinking? Being surrounded by the girls at this extravagant school has gone to my head. I would be lucky enough to have his friendship. There's no way we could ever be anything more._

She began humming the tune going through her head, and sat down in the middle of the floor. Her skirts poofed out around her. Her mind was still filled with details of the last dance and how wonderful the smell of cedar and green tea was.

"Takashi," she said softly to herself, savoring the name on her tongue. "Takashi. Takashi Morinozuka. You are a strange, strange human."

Outside the dojo with his back against the wall, a tall, strong, and silent man took those words as his cue to leave and began walking back to the Third Music Room.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks everyone for reading, following and favoriting! I'm happy that you all have liked it so far, and I definitely welcome your comments, questions, and constructive criticism.

Mamabug: There is definitely going to be a rematch somewhere along the line, you can bet on that!


	4. The Perfect Cup of Tea

After the New Year, Amaya began feeling at ease in her new surroundings. Even though she had a hard time relating to her classmates, they were all kind to her. Her 'feminine' friendship with Haruhi was blossoming, and she grew especially fond of Honey. She didn't visit the Host Club often, but every time she did, Honey would dote on her and make sure she ate a large slice of cake. Mori was as imposing as ever, and she often found she couldn't look him in the eye lest she blush at the memory of the dance they shared. As time went on, however, their lack of communication made it easier to forget her feelings for him. She began to convince herself that he was not worth her time or attention, especially because she didn't seem to be worth his. Amaya was sure that he didn't like her and she started to focus instead on the others around her who did.

Her interactions with the other members of the Host Club were enjoyable. Often, she would just sit and observed them while sipping on her tea. She related well with Haruhi, but found it difficult to be open with her in front of the other Ouran girls, especially because they thought that Haruhi was a boy. She could tell that Tamaki had feelings for the girl, but he was often thwarted in some way by the twins, who were as mischievous as ever. The 'which twin is which' game was played quite often, to the point that Amaya began to tell them apart by differences other than their voice tones, and she made mental notes on who was who for future reference. Finally, Kyoya. He was also a mystery to her, but not quite as mysterious as Mori. She never knew Kyoya's motives. He would always say things to her that were semi-insulting but full of truth, in a way that she clearly understood but that went unnoticed by the rest of the group. Amaya could never tell if Kyoya was on her side or not. Still, she enjoyed being around the ragtag group of elite young men. They had strange antics, but there was never a dull moment when she visited the Host Club.

"I have a surprise today!" she said one morning when she arrived to classroom 3A. Honey's eyes went wide.

"Cake?" he asked expectantly.

"Yes! And not just any cake…cheesecake!" she said excitedly. "I'll bring it to the Host Club today after school. I may be a little late though, I'm tutoring."

"You're tutoring? Didn't you just start classes here?" Honey said confusedly.

"Eh…" began Amaya. True, she had just started classes, but that didn't mean she was behind. In fact, she was more than prepared in just about every subject. "I'm tutoring English, which I've spoken almost my entire life," she added, almost as an excuse.

"Who are you tutoring?" Honey asked.

"A couple of students from class 2C," she replied. "They offered to pay me, so I took it."

"I don't think Ouran students are allowed to have real jobs," Honey said. "I think it's somewhere in the school manual…"

"Already cleared with the Chairman!" she said enthusiastically. "As long as I still perform well in our class, I'm free to tutor who I want."

"Do you really need the money that badly?" Honey asked, still slightly unclear on the wealth status of the common folk.

"Not really, but extra cash is always nice to have around in case of emergencies."

"Oh…" thought Honey, his brows furrowed. He thought for a moment, then brightened and smiled at her. "Well, if you ever have an emergency, Takashi and I can help you!"

She looked at Mori, unclear how he would take those words. Mori glanced down toward Honey, but gave no indication of what he thought about being Amaya's emergency plan.

"Thanks Honey-senpai. I'm pretty sure I can handle whatever comes my way, but I'll be sure to let you know if I need anything."

In truth she didn't want the money for herself, but rather for the tea house. Tomiju's tea house was falling into disrepair and Amaya wanted to help bring it back to its former glory. Tomiju talked about the teahouse as if it was a sacred refuge, but it was a scene Amaya couldn't picture because its current state was so dismal. Unfortunately, they couldn't do any repairs without money. The kids at Ouran were rich, and they were willing to pay a hefty price if it could help them advance in their classes, so Amaya had jumped at the opportunity to tutor. She was desperate to see the tea house as her mother remembered it, imagining it to be cozy, calm, and romantic.

Originally, the tea house had been traditionally Japanese, but the new business plan that Amaya and Tomiju had agreed upon was to split the rooms in half. One area would continue the tradition of the tranquil tea ceremony, while the other would be a more modern take on Japanese tearooms. They were hoping that this would attract more attention and more customers. However, all was still in the beginning stages. First, they needed the cash.

The two students Amaya saw that afternoon were clearly in need of help with their English. Their class was studying the medieval period and reading through Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The vernacular and the vocabulary of Middle English was hard enough for native English speakers, let alone for these students who had learned English as a second language. The two were incredibly grateful for her help and told her they'd pass her name along to others in their class. After tutoring, Amaya made her way to the culinary room to take the cheesecake out of the fridge. To her surprise, the entire Host Club was standing by the room and peering inside in awe.

"What's going on?" Amaya asked, trying to take a look.

"Haruhi is baking!" Tamaki said ecstatically. "She's teaching Renge and they're bonding as women should!"

"Two things," Amaya began, "Who is Renge, and why are you assuming that women belong in the kitchen?"

He jerked his head toward her, excuses flying out of his mouth. "I didn't mean…I never meant to imply…I…it's just that cooking is a woman's—" he shut his mouth quickly at the look Amaya gave him. She waited a moment, instilling fear into him before smiling, rolling her eyes, and pushing her way into the kitchen.

"Hey Haruhi, who's your friend?" she asked.

"No! Don't add the water to the chocolate! Not like that!" Haruhi cried. She was teaching Renge the art of the double boiler, but hot water and melted chocolate were going everywhere. When Renge was doing something relatively safe, Haruhi stepped toward Amaya and addressed her question.

"That's Renge…she's an otaku who thinks she's engaged to Kyoya-senpai. She wanted me to teach her how to make cookies for him," she said out of Renge's earshot.

"AH the chocolate is hot!" Renge cried. She had put her finger in the melted chocolate to taste it and had burned herself.

"You better take care of that," Amaya said, suppressing a laugh. Haruhi looked exasperated.

Amaya turned toward the industrial refrigerator and opened it, pulling out a pan covered in foil. As she removed the foil and removed the cake from its springform pan, she couldn't help but smile at how perfectly it had turned out. Since this was the first cheesecake the Host Club would try, she had made a classic, tall New York cheesecake with a graham cracker crust. She turned back to the fridge and pulled out the raspberry sauce she had made and drizzled it all over the top of the cheesecake. Then, she carefully placed raspberries decoratively on top of the drizzle. It looked scrumptious.

She finished just as the other two girls finished decorating their own cookies. All three of them walked back with their desserts to the music room.

"That looks amazing, Amaya," Haruhi said. "I can't wait to try some!"

"It's pretty tasty, but I can't get over how good your ginger cookies smell!" she replied.

"Your baked goods will pale in comparison to the taste of mine when they grace Kyoya's taste buds," Renge said dreamily. Haruhi and Amaya made eye contact, cringing. Both of them had seen how clearly burnt Renge's cookies were.

They entered the music room to find the boys lounging around. Renge immediately sought out Kyoya.

"Kyoya-sama! I've learned to bake peasants' cookies from Haruhi-kun." As Kyoya and the other boys took some of her cookies, she began speaking mostly to herself. "It's my first time baking, so I know I'm bad but I'm sure…if it's Kyoya-sama, he'll say 'Anything you make is delicious…'"

"This doesn't taste good," Honey said after biting into the cookie.

"Don't eat that, Mitsukuni, it's bad for you," Mori said, taking the cookie from Honey.

Renge screeched when she heard them critique her baking and reached toward Honey. In response, the two began to run while Renge chased them.

Haruhi bit into one of her ginger cookies and seemed to enjoy the taste. She began talking to the twins, which garnered Tamaki's attention. Amaya turned to Kyoya, about to ask if the room was equipped with a knife to cut the cake.

"COME BACK HERE!" Renge shouted at Honey and Mori. As she chased them, she wasn't watching where she was going and she bumped into Amaya, causing her to stumble. Unfortunately, Amaya was still holding the cheesecake. In a moment that felt like slow motion, the cake flew from her hands as she tried to regain her balance.

"No!" she cried, but it was too late. The cheesecake had fallen face down on the floor, with raspberries splattered everywhere. She sank to her knees, devastated. The chaos in the room ensued.

Tamaki was reprimanding the twins and Haruhi as Kyoya stood by. Renge, who had stopped chasing Honey and Mori after bumping into Amaya, didn't turn to apologize, and was rather still in her own world. Honey had yet to notice the cheesecake on the ground, but was trying to make up for his faux pas to Renge by offering her milk.

Amaya sighed deeply and began to pick up what she could of the cheesecake to throw it away.

"Wait," Mori said. She stopped while he took his finger and swiped the edge of the cheesecake, an area that hadn't come in contact with the floor. He looked at the dollop of cheesecake on his finger and then put it in his mouth, savoring the flavor. She had no idea if he liked it or not.

"That would go well with raspberries," he finally said. "It's a shame." It was the first time he had spoken to her since their dance before Christmas. As much as she thought she had gotten over her crush on the tall boy, his words made her heart flutter.

"If you approve, I'll make another one of these," she said.

"For Mitsukuni," he responded. All the flutters froze in place, then smashed to pieces at the bottom of her stomach.

"Of course," she said quickly, feeling her cheeks turning pink. She silently reprimanded herself for getting her hopes up as she cleaned cheesecake off the floor. Of course he would only be thinking about Honey. She had never intended for this boy to be able to fluster her, and it made her angry. She didn't even know why she found herself attracted to him. She tossed the cake while Renge was going on about how each club member needed a 'dark side,' and left the room to take out her emotions on a punching bag.

Mori was infuriating, but even more infuriating were the stupid feelings she tried so hard to quench. They had all begun with that last dance. That elegant, romantic, beautiful waltz. None of it, however, had been for her. How could it be? It must have been all for Honey and for Honey's enjoyment. If it weren't, Mori would speak to her, would welcome her, would make her feel more at ease. Instead, she felt shut out and lost. She tried to get over it, but his words about her cake had broken all of her safeguards.

 _Fine. If rejecting my feelings didn't work, I'll have to accept them instead._

In the dojo, she started bag work, punching and kicking. Amaya let her mind go blank and worked up a sweat, which always made her feel better.

* * *

Later that month, Amaya was walking through the school grounds, enjoying the cherry blossoms and realizing for the first time that her mother's fond memories of the spring trees would now be her own. She stopped and lifted up her head, breathing in deeply as her eyes began to water with memories of her mother's stories about Japan.

"Amaya-sama," she heard Tamaki's voice say. "You look so beautiful in the light drifting through the trees. Spring suits you well."

She turned and smiled at him, but it must have been a sad smile because he asked, "Why are you crying, my darling?" and picked up her hand and kissed it.

"This is the first time I've experienced the sweet smells of the blooming cherry blossoms. They were one of my late mother's favorite scents."

"I am so sorry for your loss," he said, bowing his head. "Perhaps joining us for tea in the garden would make you feel better?"

She thought about it, and accepted. Maybe sipping tea in the sunshine would make her feel at ease.

After less than a month, Amaya had already made a small sum from tutoring, and every cent went into renovations for the tea house. She had been helping Tomiju on the weekends applying fresh coats of paint and refurbishing furniture. At first, it had been hard being in the place where she knew her parents had met. It had grown decrepit over the years since her mother moved to America, because the 'tea house scandal' had dropped revenue. None of the richer clients had wanted to be seen there, even if the scandal had reduced to only rumors. Without the normal revenue, Tomiju had had a hard time with upkeep and the once traditional tea house had succumbed to less than a tourist trap, selling cheap sweets and coffee.

Tomiju had expressed wanting to upscale the place again, but was worried about the amount of work as she was growing older. Amaya, eager to see the state of the tea house in all its glory, had pushed her to start the process and offered all the help she could give. It was a daunting process. They had found, rather unfortunately, that some of the ornate wooden carvings on the ceiling were beginning to rot, and that much more needed to be replaced before anything could go back to the way it was. Furthermore, they no longer had full matching tea sets. The paint was fading on many of the nicer pieces, and many had also been chipped from careless customers drinking coffee and eating dango. Both Tomiju and Amaya had been discouraged.

As she followed Tamaki into the garden, she saw tables set up with fine china. She took in the spring air and looked around her, wondering if the tea house could ever look so exceptional. Then, she noticed Honey, Mori, and Haruhi dressed in kimonos and performing a traditional ceremony for two girls. She walked over to watch.

Honey was making the tea, mixing the matcha with hot water, but he was quite clearly overdoing it, spilling much of the matcha out of the bowl. No one said anything until there was hardly any left. Mori leaned over and said, "Mitsukuni, you overdid it."

Honey stopped mixing immediately, his eyes watering up with tears.

"I'll drink it! It looks very delicious!" one of the girls said, trying to quell the sadness in his face.

"Yes, how did you know that was all we wanted? It's the perfect amount for the two of us!" the other girl said. Honey immediately perked up upon hearing this, while Mori offered some sweets and Haruhi rolled her eyes, getting up to leave.

Amaya stepped in to take Haruhi's seat. "May I, Mori-senpai?" she asked. She had come to the conclusion that part of her attraction to him was in his mystery. So, instead of avoiding him, she decided she would actively engaging with him.

She took the traditional seating position on her knees and tucked the skirts of her yellow school dress underneath her. She began assembling and cleaning all the things she would need to make a bowl of tea. She cleaned the bamboo chasen, or tea whisk, with which Honey had vigorously overused, as well as the ceramic bowl that would contain the tea mixture. Even in these simple cleaning steps were Amaya's movements clean, concise, and silent—this was one of the many things her mother had taught her, hoping that she maintain her heritage. When she had first learned about tea ceremonies, she was impatient. There were so many extraneous movements, such as placing a utensil from the left had to the right rather than just picking it up with the right hand. What was the point? Then, she had seen her mother perform a ceremony and had marveled at the simplicity and beauty in all of the movements. They were not extraneous, but rather, for aesthetic.

With the pieces clean, she scooped the right amount of matcha into the bowl, poured the water in, placed the bowl at her knees, and began to whisk, quickly and efficiently. After the mixture had frothed, she took the whisk around the edge of the bowl and in a deft movement pulled the whisk out, forming a perfect circle of froth in the center of the bowl. The mixture was smooth and without clumps, a beautiful color and steaming. She set the whisk down before picking up the bowl. She looked at Mori, bowed her head, and placed the bowl in front of him. As he picked up the bowl, she noticed how gracefully he held it in his large hands. He drank deeply from the bowl. When he was done, he placed the bowl back down, put his hands down on the mat, and bowed. As he sat up again, he looked at Amaya in the eyes with a contented gaze. Both were pleased.

"Wow!" exclaimed Honey, breaking the tranquility of the moment. "That was so good Amaya-chan! Where did you learn to do that?"

She sighed contentedly. "My mother taught me," she said simply.

"Your mom must be amazing!" Honey said, catching Amaya off guard. "Will we ever get to meet her?"

Amaya was pulled back to reality, and now looked at Mori with saddened eyes.

"She isn't alive anymore, Honey-senpai. But she was pretty amazing."

"Oh no! I'm so sorry Amaya-chan!"

She fought back the tears. "It's alright, Honey-senpai, you didn't know." Honey's eyes had filled with tears, too. The other two girls sitting with them also looked a bit sad. She changed the subject to break the silence. "Now, after a tea ceremony it's customary to take a walk through the gardens and enjoy the simplicity of nature." She stood up. "Will you join me?"

The five began to wander around the school garden. While the two other girls kept Honey occupied, Amaya and Mori found themselves standing together on the bridge over the stream watching the movements of the koi fish.

"Here," he said, pulling a bag out of the folds of his kimono. He offered her breadcrumbs, and together they began feeding the fish.

"That color suits you," Amaya said, referencing the kimono that Mori was wearing. It was dark blue and complemented his skin tone well. He didn't answer her, focused instead on the fish.

"I've never had such a perfect cup of tea before," he finally said. She felt the beginnings of flutters in her stomach. Instead of reveling in his compliment, however, she decided to ask him a question that had been on her mind for a while.

"Mori-senpai," she began slowly, not knowing how he would take her next words. "Will you tell me about your aunt? Yorihisa-sama's wife?"

He didn't respond quickly, and brushed the last of the crumbs from his hands before turning to her. "You want to know about Honey's mother?" he asked first.

"I want to know about Honey's mother, yes," she said, accepting his terms.

"Why don't you ask him?" Silence. She knew he wasn't going to answer her question. Not today, anyway.

"I'm afraid," she said truthfully. "I'm afraid I'll find out something I don't want to hear. I'm afraid that I'll find out what a wonderful person she is, and find out that my mother was never truly worthy of Yorihisa-sama's attention. I'm afraid that I'll find out that my existence really is a thorn in the side of both of your families. Hearing that from Honey would break my heart."

"Would it be any different hearing it from me?" he asked.

"I trust that you wouldn't see me any differently than you see me now." He continued looking at her, but didn't speak. She finished tossing her crumbs into the pond and turned to meet his eyes, changed the subject. "Maybe sometime I'll make you another cup of tea." When he didn't answer she added, "Would you like that?"

"I would," he replied.

The flutters burst to life inside of her, rising through her stomach and into her heart.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks as always for the favorites, follows, and reviews! This chapter was a little bit slower, but I needed some space to set up future plot. The next few chapters will hold some pretty big adventures.

Shoutout to naes151, kpacademygirl, and SkorpionQueen012 for the reviews...there is quite a bit of drama planned ahead, so stay tuned!


	5. Misconceptions

"Amaya-chan!" Honey cried excitedly one Friday morning as she walked into classroom 3A. Mori had his head down on his desk and his eyes closed.

"Hey Honey-senpai," she greeted. "Why is Mori-senpai so sleepy today?"

"He's been training extra hard for a kendo tournament."

"Is that part of the Tokyo Martial Arts Tournament that's coming up next weekend?"

"Yeah! I'm not competing, but Chika-chan is, and Takashi's younger brother is, too. I think the whole Host Club is gonna go support Takashi. You want to come?"

"I'll actually be there," she said, smiling. "I'm competing myself!" At her words, Mori opened one eye to look at her, and then lazily closed it again and buried his head deeper into his arms, refusing to speak.

"Oh!" exclaimed Honey, surprised. "Then you should come with us tomorrow to Kyo-chan's water park! If you've been training hard you should take a day to relax. It's kind of like a mini vacation in the middle of Tokyo."

"I think I should be able to do that," she said while in thinking about her Saturday plans. "Tomiju went to visit her son and daughter-in-law this weekend so she's not around, and there's nothing I can do for the tea house, so... I should be free! Are you sure it's okay with Kyoya-sama?"

"I'm sure!"

* * *

The next day, Amaya stepped out into the bright, tropical sunshine. _Are we really still in Tokyo?_ She was pretty sure they had gone underground to get to the park, but the light was strong enough that she was afraid she'd get sunburned.

"Kyoya-sama," she said, putting on her sunglasses. "Is that real sunlight?"

"It's simulated," he replied, "but still contains a percentage of UVA and UVB light, so you'll want to put on some sunscreen."

At his words, she reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle. She was glad she had brought some with her. As she began to apply, she looked around the park. There was a wave pool and a current pool, as well as diving boards and a gigantic water slide. The water lapped up on the ground as if they were at an ocean, and tropical birds called to one another through the palm trees.

"This place is incredible!" she exclaimed. "I didn't realize that your family owned something like this." She knew the students who went to Ouran were rich, but this was just plain opulent.

"It's new," Kyoya said. "We're trying it out for therapy reasons. There are people in this city who work themselves into anxiety and depression, and having a place for relaxation that isn't far was projected to be a good investment."

"Would something like this be covered under insurance?" she wondered aloud, curious whether a company insurance policy would really end up covering the use of a water park.

"You'd be surprised," came his reply.

"Amaya-chan!"

Amaya turned at the sound of Honey's voice. He ran out from behind a palm-treed area, followed by Mori. "Do you want some coconut milk?" he asked her, holding out his glass.

"In a little bit," she laughed. "Did you put sunscreen on yet?"

"No, we don't need sunscreen. We're underground!" he tried to explain.

"Not true," she said, pushing the bottle into his hands. He rejected it.

"I don't wanna put on sunscreen!" he said, starting to whine like a child. Amaya stood up, squirted some of the white goo onto her hands, and grabbed Honey's arm. He scowled while she slathered sunscreen on his back.

"I'd rather have you act grumpy now than see what you'll be like when you're burned."

"Takashi needs some, too," Honey said, eyeing his friend with a furrowed brow. He was making sure he wasn't the only one who had to go through the sunscreening process. Mori raised his eyebrows at Honey's glare and put his hands up to say no. He began backing away, trying to put distance between himself and the sunscreen bottle.

Amaya tossed Mori the bottle. "You heard the little man," she said. "Start applying." Mori frowned, but followed her directions. He took off the T-shirt he was wearing and began to put sunscreen on his chest. Amaya did a double take, having an extremely hard time tearing her eyes from his lean but toned body. He was muscular, but not overly so. She watched as his frown deepened when he tried to reach his back. His long and lanky arms stuck out at impossible angles, and she stifled a laugh.

"Here," she said, not being able to take it anymore. "Let me help you." He obliged and passed her the bottle. As she began rubbing the spots of sunscreen into the middle of his back, she began blushing slightly. He was warm to her touch, and his darker skin tone began to glisten with the oily nature of the sunscreen.

"Where are Haruhi, Tamaki, and the twins?" she asked, clearing away the thoughts of Mori while capping the bottle and tossing it back in her bag.

"Trying on swimsuits, I believe," answered Kyoya. "I'm sure Haruhi will end up in something the twins have picked out."

At that moment, Haruhi and Tamaki walked into the area. Haruhi was wearing men's swim trunks with a yellow hooded shirt as a cover up.

"Looks like the twins have good taste," she responded to Kyoya, unable to contain her laughter. Kyoya pushed his glasses further up his nose and went back to writing in his notebook, uninterested.

"Come on!" Honey said, grabbing her hand. "Let's go swimming!" He had donned an inflatable tube with pink bunnies on it, and Mori was already stepping into the water.

Haruhi spoke up. "Honey, do you really need an inflatable tube?" she asked.

"It's cuter this way," he said sweetly, and went to jump into the water. "Come on, Amaya!"

"Alright! Hold on!" she said. She took off the shirt she was wearing, revealing a modest halter-top bikini and mid-thigh board shorts.

Mori, who had yet to go all the way into the pool, caught sight of her taking of her shirt. Even though she wasn't revealing too much skin, he reddened. He couldn't deny that she had a nice figure. Thankfully, nobody noticed before he dove into the current pool and started swimming.

Honey hopped in after him and sat on his back while Mori swam full speed against the current. Before Amaya could jump in, she felt a cold trickle blast against her back. She turned just in time to see the twins with water guns in a full on battle against Tamaki. She was apparently an innocent casualty. She laughed at them before cannonballing into the water, splashing Honey. As she came up, he was laughing and splashed her back. She began to backstroke against the current, keeping up with Mori and Honey, but in reality not moving.

"I want to try!" Honey said happily. Mori dove under, leaving Honey to kick against the current by himself, and got out of the pool. Amaya flipped over and started the breaststroke, seeing if she could move forward against the current and pass Honey, who was keeping up by himself. She heard happy shouts above the water as the water gun battle ensued on shore.

Suddenly, the current shifted drastically and Amaya felt her body surge backwards. In that instant, water filled her mouth and her nose as the current strengthened, turning her body every which way and pulling her in a direction she had not meant to go. She couldn't breathe and she couldn't hear, but she could see Honey above her, held above the water thanks to his inflatable tube. She reached out to catch onto the tube but missed as the current pulled her back under. Her eyes widened as fear pumped through her body. She was going to drown. She kicked her feet as hard as she could, trying to reach the surface of the water. She couldn't see Honey anymore. Her head flew above the water and she tried to inhale air, but another wave crashed over her, pulling her under the water again. She coughed, but her body instinctively inhaled and another gulp of water slammed into her lungs. She kicked her feet harder, not willing to let the water take her.

Her arms flailed out of the water, catching onto something, which she grabbed onto for dear life. A huge wave coursed under her, pushing her up and into the air. She flew up and landed on hard ground, water spurting out of her mouth as she felt the impact. She managed to get on her hands and knees and continued to cough, gasping for air. Her stomach heaved mouthful after mouthful of water up, but finally she felt ragged breaths of air enter her lungs. Slowly, she noticed her hearing and her vision come back to her as she coughed up more water and took in more air. Her heart was beating wildly and her lungs burned, but she was alive.

When water stopped coming up, she flipped over, lying with her back on the warm ground. The current pool was on her left, but she could see nothing but trees and forest to her right. She was in a daze, not thinking, not understanding, only feeling. She felt the sun on her body, warm and familiar, and felt the pain in her lungs, jagged and broken. Moments turned into minutes, which turned into what felt like an eternity. Then, she remembered exactly what had happened.

"Honey!" she cried, sitting up quickly. As she did so, dizziness hit her and dark spots appeared in her vision, but she was too worried about Honey to care. _He has the inflatable tube_ , she thought, hoping that that kept him above water. She let her body fall back to the ground.

She slowly stood up as the dizziness faded, and wondered what to do. The current was still strong; otherwise she would just continue to take the stream, hopefully running into Honey along the way. She decided instead to just walk in the direction of the current.

After a few minutes of walking, her breathing calmed, but then it began to downpour. While the sun had been warm, the rain was cold, and so Amaya huddled beneath a few large plants to stay as out of the rain as possible. While waiting there, it occurred to her that a higher vantage point might be better, so once the rain turned into a drizzle she decided to climb one of the trees. She pulled herself up on one of the lower branches of a nearby tree and continued to climb, surprised at how tall the trees were. When she got to the top and looked out, she gasped. She could barely see the far walls of the enclosed area. The space they were in was huge!

"Honey!" she called out, but her voice was hoarse. She hoped that someone had heard it even though she could hear nothing in return. In the distance, she saw a clear opening where the trees ended, and decided to head for that area. She descended from the tree and began to walk.

A little while after she had started walking, she paused, thinking she had heard a noise behind her. When she stopped, however, there was nothing but the sound of the forest. She continued to walk.

 **Click.** She stopped again. There was definitely something there.

"There she is," came a voice from behind her. She turned and saw a man in camouflage with a gun. Flight mode kicked in before she could think and she turned to run in a different direction but was stopped by another body. Another soldier. As she looked around, there were four of them surrounding her. The soldier she was facing grabbed her arm. She took his grip and shoved him off balance, flipping him onto the ground before beginning to run.

"Stop!" she heard the men cry behind her, then the sound of boots as they pursued. They were laden with gear, while she was not, and she was beginning to outrun them when she heard gunshots from an automatic weapon behind her. She ducked behind a tree and began weaving in different directions while she ran, trying to throw them off her tracks. After a few moments, her lungs began to burn, both from sprinting and from being filled with water not so long before. She saw a clearing in the distance, hoping she could make it before she was caught. She looked behind her to see how closely she was being followed as she entered the clearing, still at full sprint. She slammed into something, hearing it grunt at the power of her impact. She was falling, but something warm encircled her and she landed more softly then she had expected. Her breathing was ragged. The sound of boots entered the clearing. She was done for.

"Why did you see the need to fire your weapons?" she heard a familiar voice say. It took her a moment to realize it was Kyoya's.

"She was running, sir. We thought firing warning rounds would make her stop!"

As her breathing slowed, Amaya realized she had her eyes squeezed shut. She opened them slowly, finding herself buried into someone's chest. Someone tall, warm, and with a skin tone that was slightly dark in color…and he had his arms wrapped around her. She was too exhausted to move or speak, so she closed her eyes and rested against Mori for a few moments longer.

"Amaya-chan, are you okay?" she heard Honey's voice ask.

"Honey...," she said, still trying to catch her breath. She lifted her head from Mori's chest and sat up slowly, finding Honey's face, relieved that he was alright. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Mori hadn't let go of her yet and pulled her head back to his chest, placing one of his large hands on the side of her head and holding her there. His heartbeat was strong and steady. Hers, in contrast, was erratic. She closed her eyes again and focused on his heartbeat in order to steady her own breathing.

"I'm fine…I floated all the way to the end but I was worried when you didn't show up. I found Takashi and Haru-chan surrounded by soldiers, and then everyone else showed up. We were going to go looking for you, but then you found us instead!"

Amaya opened her eyes again and this time saw the entire Host Club in the clearing. "This was hardly a vacation, Honey."

At her words, the chest beneath her head started trembling. Mori was laughing. After a few moments she started to laugh, too, and slowly the entire club began laughing with them.

After Kyoya exchanged a few harsh words with the soldiers, they made their way back to get their belongings before leaving. Amaya was physically a little wobbly from the day's events, and was quite exhausted.

"Amaya-chan," Honey began, clearly worried about her, "Will you be able to get home okay?"

"I think so," she replied, stifling a yawn. She looked at her watch. "There's one more train that leaves pretty soon, so I should be able to make it just fine."

Everyone in the club except for Haruhi turned and stared at her, eyes wide.

"YOU TOOK PUBLIC TRANSPORT?!" they asked, incredulous.

"It's not that difficult," said Haruhi.

"And it's cheap," Amaya chimed in. Honey began whimpering.

"Are you too poor to have a car?" he asked. "Let me and Takashi give you a ride home!" In his mind he was imagining all sorts of beggars and peasants taking the train together, asking for money and food. He couldn't bear to let Amaya be in that environment.

"A car really isn't necessary when public transportation and a bike can get you wherever you need to go," she said. "But I wouldn't turn down a ride if you're offering."

The exited the building and a driver pulled up in a fancy BMW. Amaya stood, speechless. "You have chauffeurs?" she asked.

"It's pretty common," said Honey. "But we own the car."

 _Damn rich people…_

They hopped in, Amaya squeezed between Honey and Mori. "I'm pretty close to Ouran, so if you head in that direction I can give specifics once we're there."

As the driver complied, Amaya soon grew sleepy from overexerting herself that day and the rocking movement of the car. Before she knew it, she had nodded off and was fast asleep.

* * *

The car pulled up to Ouran. In the backseat, Honey was snoring with his head on Amaya's lap, while she was asleep leaning against Takashi's shoulder.

"Where to, Morinozuka-senpai?" asked the driver. Takashi looked at the two sleepers, not willing to wake them. He made a split decision.

"Home, please," he said. He knew no one would be waiting for Amaya that evening, and there was a guest bedroom that she could sleep in. The Haninozuka compound was nearby, so he could easily take Mitsukuni to bed.

The sun had already set and the sky grew purple and orange. Takashi was content, and felt comfortable with the girl beside him. He had taken a liking to her, and was surprised with himself. At the same time, the attraction he had to her was natural to him. She had Haninozuka blood, after all, even though she bore little resemblance to the family. Except for the eyes. She had the Haninozuka eyes. It was strange to look into those eyes. He barely knew her, and yet when their eyes met it was like he was looking at an old friend.

He glanced to Mitsukuni, fast asleep. Mitsukuni would need to know about her, if he hadn't figured it out already. Although he was naïve, he was perceptive. Surely he would have noticed the resemblance, although they had never discussed Amaya outside of reference to the Host Club.

Minutes later they pulled up in front of the Morinozuka household. The driver opened the door for Takashi, who carefully picked Amaya up. She did not wake. If she were anything like Mitsukuni, her slumber would be deep.

"I'll be back in a second for him," Takashi told the driver.

He entered his home and headed directly for the guest bedroom. His younger brother, Satoshi, stepped into the hall to greet him, but fell silent when he saw that Takashi was carrying a young woman.

"We have a guest tonight," Takashi said simply. He slid the paper door to the guest room open and gently set Amaya on the bed, pulling up the blankets snuggly around her. She sighed contentedly in her sleep. He closed the door quietly and left the room, heading back to the car to get Mitsukuni.

He walked, carrying Mitsukuni like a child, to the Haninozuka complex and entered. He was as welcome there as he was in his own home.

"Takashi," Mitsukuni said sleepily, "is Amaya-chan safe and sound?"

"Safe and sound," Takashi replied.

When he returned to his own home, he showered and put on his blue robe before making his way to the kitchen for a cup of green tea. Satoshi was waiting for him with the tea already prepared.

"So, who is she?" he asked, eagerly interested in his brother's life.

"A friend," Takashi replied simply.

"Is that where you were today? Did you go on a date?"

At the word 'date,' Takashi almost spit out his tea. "It was not a date," he said when he regained composure. Although when he thought about it, getting to know her a little more would be pleasant…

"You know she came to the karate dojo one day…fought with Yasuchika. She has some amazing speed, and she can pack a punch. Yasuchika won't admit it, but he had a cracked rib after the fight."

Takashi smiled. "I haven't seen her fight yet," he told his brother.

"Well, when you do, it's something special."

Takashi silently sipped his tea and and thought about the girl in the room down the hall and her passion for fighting. _She is something special._

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** Thanks everyone for reading, reviewing, and following! I'm so glad that you like the story so far, and I'd love to continue hearing your thoughts. Sorry I didn't get much into 'sleepy Mori' on this chapter. We'll get there once the Amaya and Mori become closer friends.

I was happy to change to Takashi's perspective...I imagine him to be thoughtful and kind and caring, but I also imagine that he has little to no perception of how his silence comes across to other people. Amaya surely doesn't get it.


	6. Doors That Close

Amaya was incredibly comfortable. Warm, fluffy blankets and exceptionally soft pillows surrounded her, while the simple songs of sweet birds tittered outside her window. She had had an amazing dream the night before about the Host Club, but mainly Mori-senpai. He had held her in his arms, welcoming her and telling her she had somewhere to belong. She didn't want to wake up. It was Sunday, anyway, and Tomiju wasn't supposed to be back until that evening. She listened to the morning silence. _The silence._

She bolted upright and stared at her surroundings. She was not in her bed. Tomiju's apartment was near a busier road in Tokyo, and usually she awoke to the sounds of cars and people shouting in the streets. Where was she? She tried to remember the day before, but her memory was foggy. They had gone to Kyoya-sama's resort and she had almost drowned. She could remember up to that point, but after that…there had been gunfire…had she been captured? This didn't look like a cell. Where was she?

She pulled back the covers and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, stifling a yawn and stretching her arms wide. She was still in her clothes from yesterday. The room was sparsely decorated but lovely, with elements that flowed into each other that ultimately created a soothing atmosphere. She stood and made her way to the door as soundlessly as possible. She slid back the partition and glanced into the hallway, but she saw nothing. She tiptoed down the hall, passing closed doors. At the end of the hallway she peeked around another corner and saw an open door across from her. Carefully, afraid of making noise, she looked into that room. It was large and decorated in a similar fashion to the room she had woken up in. It, too, was empty.

"Having fun?"

She jumped out of her skin and reacted naturally, her fight response kicking in. She stepped back and shifted her stance to throw a punch at the voice that came from behind her. Mori blocked her punch with ease. As soon as she saw that it was Mori, her defenses dropped and she sighed in exasperation.

"Don't do that!" she exclaimed. He started laughing at her.

She was surprised by his actions. This wasn't the Mori she knew from school. She noticed that he was wearing a dark blue yukata, and he was clearly at ease in this place.

"Mori-senpai," she asked. "Where are we? And what happened at the water park?"

He stopped laughing and looked at her more seriously.

"You don't remember?" he asked.

"I remember water filling up my lungs and not being able to breathe, and I think I might have heard gunshots, but that's it. Do you know what happened?"

 _She doesn't remember,_ Takashi thought to himself. _It is a good thing Mitsukuni insisted we take her home. She could have ended up anywhere in Tokyo.  
_

"You must be hungry. Follow me," he said.

When they entered the kitchen, he made her sit down and placed a small pot of tea and a cup in front of her. He then began to prepare the food.

"You cook, Mori-senpai?" she asked.

"My family served the Haninozuka family for many generations, so I grew up in a different environment than most of the Host Club members."

"I bet different from most of the students who go to Ouran, too," Amaya surmised.

After a few minutes of silence and sipping on her tea, Mori spoke again. "Do you like natto?" he asked.

As soon as he said the words, Amaya's mouth began to water at the thought of fermented soybeans. "Of course! I grew up on natto."

In a few more minutes he set a bowl of white rice with natto in front of her, along with a fried egg, cold tofu, and miso soup. He set a serving for himself and sat down next to her, eyeing her carefully as she began to eat.

Amaya realized how hungry she was as soon as she took a bite of rice. She wolfed the meal down, chopsticks flying, and poured herself another cup of tea before leaning back in her chair and sighing comfortably. She glanced at Mori and immediately felt blood rush to her face. He wasn't even halfway done with his breakfast and she had already finished hers.

"Do you want more?" he asked, relieved that she had enjoyed his cooking.

"No, thank you, but it was delicious. I haven't had a full breakfast like this in a long time." She paused. "So…are you going to tell me about yesterday?"

"Kyoya called a search team to find you and Mitsukuni. They chased you and fired some rounds, which most likely scared you into running faster. You ran until you found us. We took you home but you fell asleep in the car before you could give us your address." He left out the part where he had held her, not wanting to embarrass her further.

She was silent. Mori finished his meal.

"Thank you," she said softly. He had taken care of her the way he took care of Mitsukuni. This gave her conflicted feelings. On one hand, her attraction to him made his care wanted. On the other hand, her independence fought against it, as she did not feel she needed a protector. Finally, she added, "but I can take care of myself."

"Perhaps," he began, looking into her eyes and treading carefully with his words, "You don't need a caretaker, but rather a friend."

"I…well…uh…" she stumbled over her words. The last thing she had expected Mori to say was that they should be friends. "I thought you didn't like me!" she exclaimed finally.

He looked at her, surprise in his eyes. "What gave you that idea?"

"Seriously?" she said. "You're so…quiet…and you never look like you enjoy anything when I'm around…"

"That's just Onii-san," a voice said from behind her. "He's the reserved one in the family."

"Satoshi!" Mori exclaimed, "You shouldn't eavesdrop!"

"I just wanted breakfast!" Satoshi replied, smiling. "I'm this guy's younger brother. Welcome to the Morinozuka household!" he continued, reaching out to shake Amaya's hand.

"Nice to meet you. Mori-senpai never mentioned he had a sibling. Well, come to think of it, he doesn't mention much."

Satoshi moved to the counter to pour himself some tea, but he continued the conversation. "So, are you two going on a date today or something?"

Amaya saw Mori's face turn a little pink. "Well, I actually need to study for the Japanese History exam coming up this week," she admitted, giving him a way out. "It's my worst subject."

Mori's eyes were suddenly lit with concern. "You don't like Japanese History?" he asked apprehensively.

She laughed. "I like it, but it's not a subject I've ever taken before so I'm very behind."

"Let me teach you!" he said almost feverishly.

She was surprised. He never showed this much emotion at school. "Is it really that important?" she asked.

"Japanese History is Onii-san's favorite subject." Satoshi answered before Mori had a chance. Mori turned his head slowly to look at his younger brother, his eye twitching with anger. Satoshi smiled sheepishly at the two of them and quickly left with his tea in hand.

"Fine. I would be forever grateful if you could help me pull an A on this exam."

That afternoon, Amaya found out that Mori was incredibly knowledgeable about Japanese History. He was passionate about the subject, and helpful, but he was also very strict. Her mind was crammed full of details about the Meiji era, when Japan had transitioned from a feudal society to a more modern form. She wasn't certain if some of the minute specifications about dress, language, and daily customs were necessary. Still, Mori had just about beaten them all into her head.

She had never heard him talk so much.

"Mori-senpai," she began, desperate for a mental break. "What's your favorite period in Japanese History?"

He smiled to himself. "The transition beginning in the 17th century and entering into the Edo era," he began. "The changing studies of the samurai art from warfare to introspective practices particularly interests me. I suppose you could say I'm most interested in the period surrounding the introduction of kendo."

"You're competing this weekend, right?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Yes."

The Tokyo Martial Arts Tournament was broken down into four sections: kickboxing, judo, karate, and kendo.

"Honey-senpai said that your brother and Yasuchika-sama would be competing? Do you know what categories?"

"Satoshi is competing in judo this year. Yasuchika will compete in karate. He can win now that Mitsukuni stopped competing." He paused. "You shouldn't compete," he finally said.

She stared aghast at him.

"Why?!"

"You'll get hurt," he said. "The karate club at Lobelia Girls' Academy has the strongest and most ruthless female competitors. Usually their opponents get career ending injuries."

"Karate is a lifelong practice," she said. "It may keep me from competing, but I'll never stop practicing."

They stared at each other in silence. His face was calm but she could tell he was frustrated. She was also frustrated. Karate was a sport she loved dearly. In Tokyo, she felt stifled by the atmosphere that suggested it was not a women's sport and that she was weak because she was a woman. It was an atmosphere she hated.

"It's late," she said abruptly. "Thank you for your help, but I should go home."

Whatever doors had been opened through their conversation that afternoon slammed shut.

* * *

On Friday, they got their exams back at the end of class. Amaya was thrilled; Mori's tutoring had gotten her an A. She didn't have a chance to speak to him before she met her students for tutoring, but she went to the Host Club afterwards, excited to give him the news and thank him for his help.

When she pushed the door to the Third Music Room open and got past the smell of roses and sweets, she called out Mori's name.

"Mori-senpai! I did it! I passed!" she said. She saw him with Honey at a table. They didn't have clients yet. He glanced up at her but didn't respond in any way, shape, or form, instead looking back down at his plate and pushing a strawberry back and forth with his fork. Her face fell at his lack of response. Honey looked at her, a little saddened, too.

"What did you do, Amaya-sama?" Haruhi asked her.

"I passed our Japanese History exam with flying colors!" she said excitedly. "It's all thanks to Mori-senpai…he knows so much."

"So…you cheated?" asked Hikaru, wandering over to them lazily and followed by Kaoru.

"No! He tutored me!"

Mori stood up. "Excuse me," he said, and exited the room.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked, turning to the other boys in the room.

"He's been like this all week," Haruhi said.

"Huh?" asked the other boys. "How can you tell? He's always quiet."

"Well he acted the same way when he was worried about Honey-senpai last weekend at the water park," she said. "He must be anxious about something."

"It's you, Amaya-chan," said Honey quietly. "He doesn't think you should compete tomorrow."

"Wait, you're competing in the tournament, too?" asked Kaoru.

"Yeah, but I don't understand why it's a big deal to him. I'm pretty confident in my abilities, and if I get injured it won't keep me from practicing the art. I already told him that," Amaya replied.

"But those Lobelia girls are pretty tough," said Honey. "They've had excellent training from top-notch sensei. Takashi and I know what they're capable of…all of their sensei graduated top of their classes from the Haninozuka school."

The boys gasped. "And you think you're ready for this?!" Tamaki cried. "You haven't even been training with the karate club here!"

"It's not my fault they don't allow girls!" she retorted. "I'm competing tomorrow, and nothing can change that!" she barked, frustrated at everyone's lack of faith in her. If she were back home in California, all of her friends would be cheering her on, not trying to make her quit.

 _Not home, this is home,_ she thought.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," she said angrily. "If you don't think you can handle it, just don't watch me fight. Be sure to tell Mori-senpai that, too!"

* * *

The next day she arrived at the event arena early to check in. She had earphones on, listening to Gustav Holst's: The Planets. The first movement was Mars. It seemed appropriate, as she felt she was going to war with both her opponents and with her emotions. After checking in, she was ushered toward a large arena where everyone was warming up. Mori, Satoshi, and Yasuchika were already there. She made eye contact with Mori, acknowledging his presence, but he ignored her and continued stretching. She began to stretch as well.

"AMAYA!" she heard a voice cry out. She removed her headphones before arms wrapped around her in a giant hug and swung her around. She smiled brightly with surprise. There was only one person this would be.

"Ethan!" she said happily, turning to face her old friend once he put her down. She gave him a proper hug. "What in the world are you doing here?!" she asked in English. It felt oddly harsh after she had been speaking in Japanese for so long.

"Competing, duh!" he said, flicking the side of her head.

"In what category?" she said, pushing him back playfully. He was two years older than her, but they had grown up doing karate together.

"You wouldn't believe it," he said, "but kendo."

"No way! You're a rookie! And why didn't you tell me you were going to be here?"

"I wanted to surprise you. I won the U.S. championship last month. I figured I needed some new competition."

"So you flew out here just for this?" she asked.

"Well, yeah. And to see you."

"That's dumb," she responded, throwing a playful punch at him. He blocked it and they started faux sparring, the way they always did when they hung out.

As Amaya blocked punches, she looked at her old friend. Ethan was tall, about 6'2", had sandy brown hair and bright blue eyes. Back at the karate school in California they had been friendly rivals, both pushing the other to succeed. They had taught together and gone to tournaments together. Although everyone at the school thought they were dating, they never had. It was against policy for instructors to date each other, and her mom had been totally against it. Amaya had been happy with their friendship, but she had always gotten the idea that Ethan wanted more. She had strictly complied with the rules, whereas he was always fond of breaking them.

She feigned an upper cut to his sternum, the move that signified the start of their 'handshake'. All the instructors at their old school had come up with it together and they adhered to it as tradition. They both started laughing and clasped hands.

"I expect you to show these girls who's boss," he said.

"At least you have faith in me!" she said. "You've got some pretty tough competition though. I go to school with some of them."

"Oh yeah? You want to give me any tips?" he said slyly.

"I would, but I haven't seen him fight yet," she responded.

"Which one is he?" Ethan asked, looking around.

"Takashi Morinozuka," she said, savoring the name on her tongue. She glanced back to where Mori was. His brows were furrowed and he looked angry. He was also swinging his shinai with quite a bit of force.

"He looks like a guard dog from hell," Ethan said. "Well he's about to meet Ethan Alexander Cooke."

She smiled. "He's nicer than you think. Don't go easy on him."

The tournament began. Each group was taken to a different room in the convention center where the preliminaries for each event would take place. The finals in each match would be held in the main arena that evening. The kata competition began first for the karate tournament, followed by kumite. She watched as the men competed.

Yasuchika's kata was incredible, powerful and yet calm. It was like watching the embodiment of yin and yang, fire and water, calm and storm. Every movement was perfect, and before she could marvel, it was over. He was by far the best of the men, and she took note of what the judges seemed to like. Very few of the men could clearly dominate and hold the room's attention. Yasuchika was one of them. So far everything was pretty traditional karate, but Yasuchika's second kata switched it up a bit. He added a few jumps and some pretty impressive kicks that looked more like they were taken from tae-kwon-do than karate. Amaya saw that as a good sign. One of her own katas was styled after kenpo and required more fluidity and continual movement then some of the katas she had seen that morning.

Soon, it was time for the women to compete. Amaya walked over to where the other competitors were standing. She could quickly tell which females dominated, and she wasn't surprised to see that their uniforms had the Lobelia Girls' Academy crest on them. These would be her opponents in kumite later.

She watched as some of these girls performed their katas. They were good. Really good. Like, rivaling Yasuchika good. As soon as it was her turn, she entered the ring, having full faith in the training she had put in up to this point.

Her first kata was Unsu, a Shotokan kata. It showed off both her ability to fight standing up and the ease with which she transitioned to the ground.

Amaya's second kata was more fluid, taken from kenpo rather than traditional karate. It was called Tiger Hunt. This was one of her favorite katas because the movements embodied the name. She turned into a tiger while performing this kata, fierce, full of rage, and determined not to lose her prey.

She heard clapping when she was finished. As she stepped out of the ring, a girl from Lobelia came to talk to her. This girl was built and tall, but also looked privileged and stuck-up.

"Rin Sendo," she said, sticking out her hand for a handshake, "President of the Lobelia Girls' Academy karate club. You're pretty good. You fightin'?"

"Amaya Matsura," Amaya introduced. "Nice to meet you. I'm an exchange student at Ouran Academy, and yeah, I'm fighting."

"I didn't think the had karate for girls at Ouran. That's why I went to Lobelia."

"They don't. I've been training on my own for this tournament."

"Well I hope to see you in the final round. I just saw the brackets and we're on opposite sides. The only way we'll fight is if we make it to the final."

"I'll see you there," Amaya said confidently.

About an hour later, when they were preparing for the kumite session, the results from the preliminary kata rounds came out. She was one of four that made it to the finals, so she would perform her katas again that evening.

Her first opponent was good, but not that good, and Amaya quickly got her points and finished the match. There were thirty-two girls in her age range competing, so she had to win two more matches to make it to the semifinal.

Amaya's second opponent wasn't much better than the first. The third opponent was her first from Lobelia. This girl matched her more evenly in skill, but she was probably at the level Amaya had been when she first got to Japan after six months without training. The match went long, but she came out victorious.

Amaya could tell during that last fight that Rin Sendo was watching her. Amaya had not yet gotten a chance to see Rin fight, so she had no idea what her style would be. She was determined to get to that final round, and so far she was doing just fine. She had made it to the semifinals, which would take place that evening.

"You've improved," she heard Ethan say as she left the ring. She had no idea he had been watching her.

"What can I say?" she said. "I missed it so I hit it hard. How'd you do?"

"Made it to the semifinals. I'm aiming for your friend," he said. "He's really good."

"I don't doubt it," she replied. "He's good at just about everything he does."

"You wanna go find some food?"

"Please! I'm starving!"

She changed out of her uniform and walked with Ethan to one of the nearby restaurants for some sushi.

"So how is everyone back in SF?" she asked.

"They're all doing well. The crew misses you though."

"I miss them, too."

"You gonna come back after graduation?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. There are so many options."

"I think I'm gonna go to LA and be a stuntman, for a little while at least. Try to make it big."

She laughed at him. "The stuntmen don't really get their names up in lights…they just make a lot of money," she said.

"Sounds good to me. Get rich fast and then settle down with someone special. Maybe use that money to travel the world."

"Sounds like you have someone in mind," she said, not even considering his statement.

"I do," he replied, looking at her. "Amaya."

She looked up, startled. "Ethan, you don't mean me. You know we could never—"

"You're not an instructor anymore, so that doesn't matter." He saw the look on her face. "Come on, you've never thought about us that way?"

"Well, I did, but—"

"So why can't we?"

"Ethan, I just don't see you that way. You're like an older brother to me."

"Ouch. Friend zoned. Family zoned, which is even worse. Is there someone else?"

Amaya looked away, not wanting to have this conversation.

"So there is. I get it," Ethan continued. "You must like him a lot. Is it that kendo guy?" he prodded.

Amaya turned to him, angry this time.

"You like him?" Ethan asked, incredulous. "He's so imposing and not at all chill. I always thought you needed someone like me. You're so serious you need someone to help you relax. He's not that way. You should see him—"

"I need?" she cut him off, furious at his words. "I don't _need_ anyone to tell me how I _need_ to feel or how I _need_ to act or how I _need_ to be," she said with even more anger. "If you knew me like I thought you did, you'd know that the only thing I need is the support of a friend, which is more of what he is to me right now than you are."

"Amaya!" Ethan sounded surprised at her outburst. He had never seen her that angry before. "I'm sorry!" he said, clearly frazzled and frustrated with her. "I just thought that maybe you'd feel the same way. I'll drop it. Let's finish up and get back to the arena."

They sat in silence, finishing their meal. "Even if I did like him…you definitely shouldn't go easy on him tonight," Amaya said quietly.

"Oh, you can guarantee that I won't," Ethan replied, anger lacing his tone.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry for the long delay in updates...I had a rough couple of weeks and couldn't quite get to posting a chapter. Thank you all for your lovely reviews, for reading, following, favoriting...and being patient with me!

Shoutouts to JokersBatman, Abby, , JJofthehex, and Mamabug for your reviews! I'm so glad you all like the story so far.

Mamabug, you'll get some greater detail of Amaya and Takashi fighting in the next chapter. I didn't go into too many details here because there were other aspects of the plot that I needed to move along. I have so many ideas!


	7. Glorious Failures

The bright lights glittered as Amaya entered the arena in a clean, stiff uniform and took her place next to her competitors. The semifinal and final competitions in kickboxing were first, followed by judo, kendo, and finally, karate. The kickboxing matches went by in a blur because Amaya's mind was elsewhere: on her conversation with Ethan. Although she had known Ethan for years, her friendship with Mori felt much more sincere, despite the fact that they had known each other for less than a year and despite her deep attraction to him. Things felt so much easier with Mori than they did with Ethan. She got the feeling that Mori cared more deeply about his friends, whereas Ethan cared more about himself. Mori was selfless, whereas Ethan was selfish. As she contemplated these things, Satoshi entered the ring for his first judo match.

Satoshi was smiling as he shook hands with his opponent. He laughed genuinely as they shared a few words. Satoshi had such a different personality than his older brother, but they also shared similarities. A deep respect for others was one of them. Amaya was happy to see Satoshi win, and even happier to see him dominate the final match.

As the arena was set up for the kendo semifinals and finals, Amaya's eyes searched the room for the Host Club. She found them easily and waved, smiling when they cheered and waved back. Haruhi was sitting in between the twins, while Tamaki was sitting behind them, looking slightly grumpy for some reason. Kyoya was writing on a tablet, making no effort to be engaged in the tournament. Go figure. However, one member was missing. Honey wasn't sitting with them. Amaya's eyes swept the arena, looking for the familiar mop of blond hair. She finally found him sitting with Yorihisa and another man who bore resemblance to both Mori and Satoshi, most likely their father.

 _Why did I not consider that Yorihisa-sama would be here?_ she silently scolded herself. He would see her compete soon enough. _There's going to be a showdown today, in one way or another,_ she thought.

The first kendo semifinal was Ethan's. As she watched him during his match, she couldn't help but notice he was antsy. He was quick, and that ultimately won him the battle, but he wasn't calm enough, and his form wasn't grounded. This wasn't totally unexpected. Ethan was the type of person that switched from martial art to martial art, picking up skills quickly and collecting them, rather than truly understanding what the art form was about. During their karate lessons at the dojo in San Francisco, he never truly listened to the lectures about mind and body like Amaya had. Instead, he wanted to be faster, stronger, and better in skill and physicality alone.

Mori was, in comparison, a complete rock. He was solid during his fight, but also quick. Amaya could hardly see his strikes. She could, however, tell that his breath was controlled. Each movement and each strike were centered and combined body, mind, and spirit. There were no superfluous movements. It was clear from his form that he had dedicated a large portion of his life to the kendo art form, and the match was his from the beginning.

The final match came down between Ethan and Mori, as Amaya knew it would. She knew Mori was superior in skill and speed, but she also knew that Ethan had come back to win fights from larger disadvantages than this. It could be anyone's match, and the next three points would tell the story.

As soon as the referee called the start, Ethan moved first and quickly got a point. However, his next attempts were skillfully blocked and Mori got a point, too. As the faced each other in a stare down, Ethan went in for a strike. Mori shifted his stance and the strike landed, but not where it was originally intended. Ethan, thinking he had gotten a point, let his guard down for an instant. Mori took this opportunity to strike him back, combining intent with breath and movement. All this had happened in a blink of the eye. Most viewers in the audience would have missed it, but Amaya knew who had won. As the flags went up in Mori's favor, she jumped up, ecstatic. The match had been truly a delight.

Ethan ripped off his mask, beginning to argue with the judges. He didn't understand why the point had gone to Mori when he had struck first in an area that should have counted. When the judges dismissed him, he turned away, angry, and refused to shake hands or bow to his opponent.

"Did you see that?" he asked as he stormed toward her on the sidelines. Mori had taken off his mask and was watching them. In fact, the entire arena was watching Ethan as he stormed away. "That's bullshit!" he cried. "I can't believe you like that guy!"

"I did see that," she said, turning red out of embarrassment and anger, "and the point clearly went to Mori-senpai. You missed."

"I didn't miss! I got him on the shoulder!"

"The edge of his shoulder, and you were aiming for the head. Kendo is different," she began, lecturing him as Mori had lectured her the week before. "All strikes combine mind, body, and spirit. That's why they teach you to kiai with each strike. A point comes not with the strike alone, but instead combined with the intention of the strike, when all three are truly in sync. That's why the fight didn't end in your favor."

He turned away from her, angry.

"Ethan!" she said, disappointment welling up inside of her.

"What!" he said, agitated.

"Are you really going to end the match that way?" She gestured toward Mori. "Are you really going to disrespect him like that?"

Ethan's anger got the best of him. He walked up and got in Amaya's face, grabbing her uniform by her shoulder and pulling her toward him. The crowd in the arena watching them gasped audibly. He wasn't hurting her, but she knew what he was doing. He was trying to make her submit to him. In response she grabbed his wrist with her hand, finding a pressure point that she could manipulate just in case things got out of hand.

"You don't trust me?" he asked with mock laughter.

"You never wanted to play by the rules," she replied. "You're not a troublemaker, Ethan. But you have to accept that things won't work out the way you want them to. Sensei always reminded us to be flexible, like bamboo." She squeezed the pressure point and she felt the hand gripping her uniform loosen. She grabbed his thumb and pulled it backwards, manipulating his joints with a few quick movements and pushing him onto his knees. He grunted in surprise and pain. Before he had a chance to react, she let go.

"You had the opportunity to fight one of the best, if not the best, kendo practitioners in Japan. He also happens to be my friend. If you really cared for me you wouldn't act so disgraceful. Go home."

He glared at her for a second before turning to leave, not even giving Mori a second glance. Amaya turned to look at Mori, meeting the grey eyes that had not left her since Ethan stormed from the stage. She bowed deeply to him, with the respect that Ethan should have had. She wondered what he thought of her American 'friend.' Mori bowed in return and applause broke out as everything returned to normal.

Amaya turned away and sat down, needing to refocus for the kata competition. As one of the four finalists, she would need to perform her very best. She also wanted to perform well for her father. Although he didn't accept her, she knew he would be watching her closely. She would surprise him with her skill.

 _Body, mind, and spirit_ , she thought to herself as she entered the stage. She performed her first kata, Unsu. She could see her invisible opponents coming at her, being subdued by her movements. Her breath, kiais, and strikes were all one with each other, and her starched uniform made the sharp noises she had been hoping for as she performed each quick strike. On her jump into the air near the end of the kata, she gained more air than she had ever done in practice and seemed to hang there before dropping into a perfect lunge. She hardly heard the applause as she finished.

Her second kata began. As she breathed in and out slowly during the salutation, the arena around her disappeared. She found herself in a thick jungle and she was waiting, listening. The jungle around her was alive with sound, but all faded into the background as she listened for the sounds she wanted to hear. She circled, patiently, poised with great balance, listening. Suddenly, a noise. The rustling of the underbrush, coming from behind her. She pivoted, moving quickly, following the direction of the sound she had been waiting for. It changed direction, so did she. She was alive with hunger and the hunt was on, rapid. Then, silence. Just like that, she lost the direction of the sound. She paused, alert like a cat, waiting while stalking her prey. The moment she saw movement in the brush, she moved. _Strike!_ She caught and wounded her prey, roaring loudly as her claws made impact. _Strike,_ this one quick, an attack to stun. _Strike_ …the final blow, finishing her chase. She circled slowly, confirming the success of her hunt. She was the tigress, and she had claimed her prize.

The jungle faded and she was back in the arena standing before the judges. She was complete serenity as she bowed, leaving the stage.

"Amaya-senpai, that was incredible!" She turned in time to see Satoshi walking over to her.

"Thank you, Satoshi-sama, and congratulations on your win! So far it's two for two with the Morinozuka boys. I'm very impressed!"

"Well thanks! You're nothing to scoff at, either. I can see why he likes you."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh! Um…I mean, I can see why you two get along so well. You and Taka-bro."

"Your brother gets along with everyone," she deflected, smiling. She thanked Satoshi once more and went to her seat, watching the final competitor before they announced the scores. She looked to the area where the Host Club was sitting. They were all chatting among themselves. She then turned toward her father, and noticed that Mori was now sitting with them at Honey's side. They were talking to each other. Her father, in comparison, looked stoic and angry.

"Winner of the women's kata competition: Amaya Matsura!"

She hardly heard the announcement; she was caught up in the way that her father's eyes hardened at the sound of her name. Honey had audibly cheered, which probably made things worse. She did not dwell on that fact long, however, because the kumite competition was calling her attention.

She had two matches, both against girls from Lobelia Academy. She was almost certain that she would meet Rin Sendo in the final, if she won this next match. She took the opportunity to watch Rin's match before her own semi-final. Rin was tall and powerful, though she lacked the speed that Amaya had. She wasn't large, but she was bulky and used her stature and her weight to her advantage. She also had a long reach, which made it easy for her to score quick points. Her opponent put up a good fight, but the power behind Rin's strikes quickly wore her down. Rin was attacking to cause pain, not to score points. It was definitely not a game to her. Amaya took note, wondering what strategy she should take.

Normally during kumite bouts, she had someone in the corner coaching her and cheering her on, be it her sensei or Ethan. Now, she was alone, and didn't have someone to discuss strategies with. She watched as Rin's final strike, an ax kick, caught the side of her opponent's head. Although they were required to wear headgear, the strike looked awfully painful, and the girl was clearly dazed.

Amaya turned away, putting on her gloves and jumping back and forth, ready for the next fight. She entered the stage with an opponent who was small, yet quick. Amaya, although fast, was not ready for the quick barrage of hits she sustained. This girl's strategy was to combo as many strikes as she could. Amaya picked up her own speed as she caught the other girl's rhythm, evading some strikes while blocking others, but choosing not to attack. Eventually her opponent would have to slow down, so beginning on the defensive wasn't a terrible idea. She would pick and choose her points, rather than let lucky strikes decide the round. Her first moment came as the Lobelia girl tried a combination, but dropped her guard. Amaya evaded a punch and placed the girl off-center. A well-placed sidekick got her the point. The next moment came as a block and a back knuckle to the temple, while her final point was a wheel kick that she feinted, transitioning into a heel hook to the groin. She had won the opportunity to face Rin.

As she paused to drink from her water bottle before her next fight, Mori approached her.

"Amaya, be careful," he said, speaking her name for the first time.

"I will be. I have been. This next fight will be no different."

"Rin Sendo is not an easy opponent. She is known for fighting unfairly. She is part of the Sendo syndicate, the daughter of a mob boss here in Tokyo. She will stop at nothing to crush you. You should throw the fight."

Once again, Amaya was shocked at Mori's words.

"I will not throw this fight. I don't fear failure, Mori-senpai. And I will especially not back down while my father is watching."

"Amaya—"

"Gotta go, Mori-senpai."

Amaya smiled at Mori, trying to show him that she was confident. She only wished that he had confidence in her.

Rin's eyes followed her as she entered the ring. She had this way of looking nonchalant, yet menacing at the same time.

 _Fighting unfairly…what does Mori mean?_ she thought. _She's good enough that she doesn't need to fight unfairly._

They bowed to each other, paying respects. As the match began, they squared off, not rushing in to attack each other. Amaya moved first, feinting an attack to Rin's temple, trying to throw her off balance. In return, a few jabs were thrown her way, but she easily blocked or evaded them. Rin moved in closer and grabbed Amaya, which was an illegal move according to the rules, however the referee didn't call it or stop the match. In the split second that Amaya had hesitated, waiting for the call, Rin had moved in and flipped her, taking her to the ground as in a judo match. Rin threw a knee into Amaya's stomach, followed by elbowing her in the head, and still the referees didn't call the match. Amaya, in all her years of practice, had never seen or experienced rules in a kumite match that would allow this behavior. In this match, however, she was playing by Rin's rules. As Rin continued to pummel fists toward Amaya's head, Amaya's training in ground situations kicked in. While trying to protect her face with one hand, she pushed against Rin's knee with the other, throwing her off balance and flipping her onto her back. As Amaya mounted, ready to give Rin payback, she heard the referee calling them to stop, angrily pulling Amaya off of Rin. End round one, and the point was given to Rin. Rin smirked at Amaya, who was starting to feel the beginning of a black eye forming.

As Amaya stood, breathing hard, she noticed that her head was pounding. She ignored it, instead cracking her neck and preparing for the next round. The rules of the match still apparently applied to Amaya, even though Rin was exempt.

"Not going to give up yet?" Rin taunted her.

"You don't know me," said Amaya.

The second round began. Rin threw the first kick, which Amaya blocked with her knee, extending her leg out for a groin shot. Rin caught Amaya's foot, once again grabbing illegally, and twisted, shoving Amaya face first, once again, to the ground. Instead of following up with more attacks, however, Rin stepped onto the inside of Amaya's knee, taking Amaya's ankle and twisting it in a direction it wasn't supposed to go. A sickening 'crack' coincided with Amaya's scream. As she lay on the ground, trying to cope with the pain, the referee called the point in Rin's favor. One more point and Rin would win the match.

"I think it's in your best interest to forfeit," Rin said.

 _I will never forfeit to a cheater,_ Amaya thought. _Why isn't anyone else jumping up here to stop this madness?_ She glanced to where her father had been sitting and noticed that no one was there. Not Yorihisa, not Satoshi, Yasuchika, Honey, or Mori. Their absence made her nervous. She looked to the Host Club. Each member had a look of horror on his or her face, except for Kyoya, who was also missing.

Amaya gritted her teeth and pushed herself up with her arms, both to the crowd's amazement and her own. She could end this match, she knew, but it would take maximal effort and perhaps just a little bit of luck. As she stood on her good foot, she saw her other ankle, already swollen. She knew that there was a fracture somewhere in there. She gingerly put pressure on it, testing to see what sort of weight it could handle. It couldn't handle much. Still, she put herself in a fighting stance, waiting for the third round.

As the third round began, she stood still, almost pathetically helpless, and tears from the pain escaped her eyes.

"You're crying!" Rin stated, laughing. She wasn't in a hurry to finish the match, and continued to taunt Amaya.

"You're strong," she said, "but real strength is in having resources. You have no idea what a treat you're in for after this fight. Why don't you just forfeit? This is your last chance."

"You don't know me," Amaya replied through gritted teeth. It was the only way she could speak through the pain. _What does she mean, after this fight?_

"Your loss…seriously," Rin replied. She wasn't trying to be careful with hiding her next move, and Amaya was ready for it. As Rin went in for a wheel kick to the head, Amaya turned on her good foot away from the attack, jumping high and swinging her bad ankle into a rear heel hook. As it made contact with Rin's head, Amaya's vision became red as nerve signals shot up through her leg, into her spinal cord, and finally into all of the pain receptors of her brain. The next thing she knew, she was on all fours, breathing as her vision returned and the pain subsided. Rin was lying on the ground, face first, and unconscious. The ref hadn't called the match yet.

"She's out! Are you gonna call the match?" Amaya asked him, loudly and angrily.

Instead of replying, he began moving toward her, but before he could reach her a bunch of men came running toward the stage. Someone grabbed her around the waist and pulled her from a fight that was starting between the group and the referee. She cried out in pain as her injured foot slipped along the ground. The pain was unbearable, and she was losing track of her surroundings and what was going on around her, only knowing that someone was trying to carry her away. She saw Honey, Satoshi, and Yasuchika running to the stage. Honey threw a sidekick that stopped three men, who flew backwards and landed in a pile. She wanted to reach toward him, go toward him, but he was growing distant.

"Honey…" she said quietly, straining even to talk.

"Amaya, you're safe." A familiar voice, but her mind was losing its bearings and she couldn't recognize it.

She was being placed on a stretcher. She looked down toward her ankle, and saw her foot hanging limply.

She shook her head to and fro, trying to stay conscious, but people were fussing over her and she couldn't keep up with the bright lights and the faces and the sounds. All she could feel was red-hot pain when some movement jostled her ankle. Someone put something over her nose and mouth and the pain began to subside as she took more and more breaths. Finally, everything went dark.

* * *

 **A/N:** Ah thank you all so much for following and favoriting! It really makes me so happy that you like this story!

FYI, the two katas that Amaya performs are pretty amazing. I can't put links in here, but you can go to YouTube and then paste the remainder of the link. I imagine Unsu, the Shotokan kata, as performed by Michael Milon: /watch?v=PZKsYV22ryM

Amaya's second kata, Tiger Hunt, is AMAZING when performed well, but is not a super popular kata and I can't find great videos that do it justice. The best one I can find is here: /watch?v=KV4IdrGmmEA but it is interpreted with Chinese fans as weapons (which is pretty damn cool in it's own right).

Thanks JJofthehex, Nightscarlett and Mamabug (always!) for the reviews: I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope I did the fighting scenes justice. I can see them play out in my head, but it's a little hard to describe as accurately as I can picture them. With all the drama that went on here, I'm excited to slow down and give you the next chapter. I think Chapter 8 is one of my favorites so far! I'll try not to make you wait too long!


	8. Family, Duty, Honor

"I'm sorry, sir, but visiting hours are over today."

Takashi sighed heavily before standing from the chair he was sitting in as quietly as possible, trying his best not to wake Amaya. He didn't want to admit it, but she had given him quite a scare. It was Sunday evening, just over twenty-four hours since the showdown at the tournament. She had been asleep when he arrived at the hospital that afternoon and hadn't woken up during his tenure there. A huge bouquet of red roses with a card signed from the Host Club sat at her bedside table, waiting for her when she opened her eyes. The bouquet had been Tamaki's idea.

He paused by her bedside before leaving the room, looking at her poor face. He had a sudden urge to stroke her cheek, but abstained from the gesture, instead issuing a silent prayer for healing. The fight with Rin had not treated Amaya well. She had a large black eye and a cut on her cheek that had needed stitches. Her leg was now in a cast and was raised on a pulley system to keep swelling down. The fracture in her ankle had required surgery, and she would probably be recovering for another three to four months. Her ankle injury was so extensive that she would be out of school keeping her leg elevated for at least two weeks. Thankfully, the surgeon that the Ootari family employed was one of the best.

"Sir?"

The nurse was growing impatient, obviously wanting him to leave so her shift could end. If it were up to him, he would stay by her bed all night. He didn't want her to wake up to loneliness.

"Yes," he responded absentmindedly, turning toward the door, but taking one final glance at the girl before leaving.

The aftermath of that fight had not been enjoyable. The Sendo syndicate had orchestrated the entire tournament, paying off, threatening, and blackmailing many of the members of the Tokyo Martial Arts Committee to ensure that Rin won. As champion fighter, Rin would gain access to private meetings with the Committee president, who happened to be a member of the Haninozuka family. Ultimately, the plan was to assassinate him for financially related actions he had taken against the Sendo family. Amaya's iron will and ultimate knock-out of Rin had caused an uproar. A last minute aim to assassinate the president directly led Sendo syndicate members to swarm the arena, causing a massive fight that ended with Yorihisa and Takashi's own father, Akira, joining in. Not surprisingly, the syndicate plan of action was soundly crushed and the president remained safe. However, extra measures had to be taken and deals struck that ensured further safety for not only the committee president, but also for Amaya. On top of that, the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families had both gotten extensively involved, since they had helped appoint many of the members on the Tokyo Martial Arts Committee. Yorihisa had not been happy, for a variety of reasons. The fact that Takashi had taken it upon himself to see to Amaya's safety and health after the fight was additional salt in the wound. He fully expected an uncomfortable conversation with Yorihisa in the near future.

As he entered the lobby of the hospital, he was surprised to see his father waiting for him.

"Blood ties are a powerful thing," Akira said quietly, standing up to greet his son. "Her beauty is quite striking, is it not? She looks like her mother, but with the Haninozuka eyes. It is hard to miss."

Indeed, it was hard to miss. Takashi had known the moment he saw her in the dojo that winter morning. Mitsukuni had also recognized it, but had waited until the events following the fight to finally discuss it with Takashi. Now, the entirety of both families knew, and Yorihisa's shame was tangible.

"Aiko loved him," Akira continued, speaking the name of his own sister for the first time since her death. "Despite the deep shame he caused her, she loved him, and she never stopped loving him."

Takashi didn't speak. He knew his father's story would end up with a point. They always did.

"Let's go home. I have the car pulled around."

As they exited the lobby and stepped into the car, Akira continued speaking. "Aiko had been quite fond of that tea house, actually. She loved it as much as Yorihisa did, but for a very different reason."

He let the silence settle during the first few moments of the car ride.

"Is she worth it?" Akira asked him, finally. Takashi was caught off guard by the question. "Many members of our family still do not forgive Yorihisa for what he did. Lust is not a reason to act immorally. Indeed, if it wasn't lust that caused him to slip in his honor, he has yet to speak the truth. However, even that was not enough to break the ties between our families. We have always served the Haninozuka family, and we will continue to, even if our status doesn't require it. I can tell you are drawn to her, Takashi. Is she worth it?"

Takashi sat in thought, watching the street lamps pass by as the car made its way through the maze that was Tokyo.

"I don't know."

"You cannot serve two masters, my son. She may have Haninozuka blood, but she is not a Haninozuka. If you choose to serve her, it is not out of familial duty."

"It is not a question of loyalty," Takashi replied, turning to meet his father's eyes. "I will always be loyal to Mitsukuni, and the Haninozuka family."

Akira's lips turned up into a sad smile, knowing that there was a long journey ahead for his eldest son. "I am not telling you what is right and what is wrong, Takashi. I just want you to be aware of what you choose. Love is not a thing to be taken lightly."

 _Love?_ Why was his father speaking of love? His love was for his family and for his duty. He knew, without a doubt, that he would always follow and protect Mitsukuni.

"Mitsukuni is fond of her," Takashi replied. He was angered at how much it sounded like an excuse.

"That is another matter entirely," his father replied. "Mitsukuni has come to accept what his father cannot: that we cannot change the present by regretting our past. Rather, we must take every blessing that our mistakes reveal and cherish them.

"You have always followed Mitsukuni, almost to a fault. We serve the Haninozuka family, yes, but we have freedom to make that choice. You must make that choice for yourself, Takashi. You will only find peace when you do as your own heart tells you. In so many words that may sound selfish, but it does not mean that you never have to make sacrifices. When you care for others with your whole self, your heart will lead you in the right direction."

As the car pulled up in front of the Morinozuka household, Satoshi opened the front door to greet them.

"How is she?" he asked as soon as his two family members had stepped inside.

"Still asleep," Takashi answered, a slight strain apparent in his voice.

"I will make tea," Akira said. "Join me in the kitchen, Takashi."

As Takashi slipped off his shoes and turned to follow his father, Satoshi grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Onii-san, you look tired. She'll be okay. You saw how she fought Rin. She's not going to give up now." He paused. "I can see why you like her."

Takashi shifted his eyes toward his little brother. It must have been pretty apparent if Satoshi had noticed it.

"She's in pain," Takashi said softly, too stressed and too tired to let the words go unsaid. He turned from his little brother and entered the kitchen. The tea kettle was already boiling.

His father poured two cups of green tea. They sat across from each other, neither speaking for many minutes.

"Our family will rely on you heavily in the coming years," his father began. "Your future has been laid out since the day you were born."

Takashi knew where the conversation was headed. He would be lectured on the responsibilities of adulthood, where he would be at the head of the Morinozuka family.

"You have many years ahead of you, but when the time comes, you will marry," his father continued. Takashi silently sipped his tea. "Whom you marry will not only affect your future, but the future of the entire family as well." Akira cleared his throat. "Yorihisa thinks it wise for me to arrange your marriage."

Takashi almost choked on his tea. He had not expected this. He felt a flurry of emotions: anger, fear, worry, resentment. All flew through him like an angry flock of birds. He barely registered his father's grey eyes watching him closely, gauging his reaction.

"I told him no."

Akira watched as relief flooded over Takashi's face, in minute, almost unreadable changes.

"I told him you were wise enough to make the right decision about who to marry," Akira said softly. "Remember that with that choice, you also have a great responsibility."

His father finished his tea, standing to leave for bed. "I love you, my son, but remember that ultimately you will have to live with the decisions you make." He left the room.

Takashi remained in the kitchen long after his father left, thoughts barely entering or exiting his mind. Only one image burned brightly in his mind.

* * *

Takashi lay in bed that night mulling over his father's words. He was certain that he would always be loyal to Mitsukuni. His happiness was so ingrained in Mitsukuni's happiness that it was hopeless to consider any situation that would not involve the small boy. As he considered these things, his mind drifted toward the girl, Amaya. She had her own gravitational pull on him, but he wasn't sure if it was attraction in the romantic sense. Yes, she was beautiful, but she didn't pull in a crowd with her mystery or her innocence or her kindness, the way that Haruhi managed to do. No, she was no Haruhi Fujioka. He laughed to himself. Still, he had an urge to protect her, but he couldn't quite figure out why. He worried about her the same way that he worried about Mitsukuni, which perhaps was part of the blood tie his father had mentioned. He knew full well that Mitsukuni could handle himself, and yet he took responsibility for Mitsukuni's actions. He felt similarly about Amaya, but did not yet have a relationship with her where he could assert his protectiveness. She had also been clear that she did not require a protector.

Perhaps the gravitational pull was due to the fact that she was unattainable. Because of their families' histories, she had been placed in a category that made her an outsider, not welcomed, not wanted. In his personal history, however, this was not a trait. If he wanted something that was unattainable, he was not usually driven by desire or lust to have it. Instead, he contented himself with the things he did have and maintained balance without the unattainable. No, that was not the aspect about Amaya that drew him toward her. He did not know what it was. There was nothing special about her.

Still, there was something about the way that she said 'Mori-san' or how she chose to ask for his advice and his help over the help of others. Even more beguiling was the way that she shoved him away and followed her own heart. She had a strong will and she knew her own strengths and weaknesses in a way that he had never seen in a person. She knew discipline, yet she knew joy and fulfillment. She was traditional and contemporary, past and present, all wrapped up into one, having reverence for the necessity of both.

He thought about the way that she fought. Her natural skill was clearly handed to her from her ancestry, but even though she was trained, her full skill was still raw and untapped. He wanted to call her stubborn, but he couldn't. He knew that she was capable of listening to reason, but she would take all the advice in the world and still decide on her own, with what her heart was telling her. The question was, what was his own heart telling him?

He flipped over a felt a pang of jealousy, thinking of the way Amaya and her friend, Ethan, had acted so close. The way Ethan treated her at the end of their fight made him angry. He had wanted nothing more than to jump off of the stage and punch him in the face. Had Amaya dated him? But then, Ethan had yelled those words. The ones in English that rang clear in his mind, 'You like that guy?' Ethan was the jealous one, not Takashi. That made him smile, but it didn't answer the question of the origins of his attraction. Instead, he cleared his mind and hoped that sleep would come. Amaya would remain a mystery for another day.

* * *

Takashi entered the hospital room on Monday after school. The kendo club was not meeting, and the Host Club could wait.

"Mori-senpai!" she exclaimed happily as she saw him. His own heart fluttered in pleasure at her excitement, in opposition to his gut, which clenched when he saw her face. The black eye had colored a deeper blue during the night and was swollen completely shut.

"I know," she said, "it looks bad. They almost didn't want to give me a mirror. But it will heal."

He was sure his facial expression had not changed to give away his concern, but her perceptiveness had caught it anyway. Perhaps this was part of the gravitational pull she had on him.

"I brought you your class work," he said. "It would be bad if you got behind before final exams."

"You're too kind. Please, have a seat and talk with me. Would you like some tea?" she asked, pointing toward a steaming teapot. "Kyoya-sama was here earlier…he told me all of the details after the fight and why the Ootari police force has been on a vigilant watch outside my door."

Takashi poured two cups of tea and handed one to her.

"I'm sorry," she finally admitted.

"You did nothing wrong," Takashi replied, sipping the hot tea.

"I created a mess and caused people to worry. The tournament ended before Yasuchika got to compete. They told me that no one else was injured, so at least there's that."

"That would have happened regardless of who fought Rin. The tournament wouldn't have continued, even if you forfeited. The mob fight had been planned from the beginning."

They sat in silence for a moment as Amaya took in the information.

"Congratulations," he finally said softly.

"For what, the fight?" she asked.

"For passing your Japanese History exam."

She began to laugh. "Your excitement is delayed," she said. "Will you do me a favor, Mori-san?"

He waited patiently, looking at her with expectant eyes.

"Will you read to me?" she asked. "Any subject, really, but I'd prefer if you read to me about the Edo era. Perhaps, enlightenment."

He was happy to oblige.

* * *

 **A/N:** So sorry about the huge hiatus. I definitely didn't mean to take that long away from this, but the writing process slowed to a stop because of other responsibilities. Thank you to everyone who followed, favorited, and commented during the hiatus though. It's amazing to think that you're still reading this and enjoying it, even though I've been a total jerk and haven't published anything!

ariannapeters18, Nightscarlett, Mamabug, JJofthehex, JessiDarkFox, kpacademygirl, Celestial Moon Lady (thanks for the fyi...I'll go back at some point and fix it!), and BCole...thanks so much for the reviews! Once again, I'm so sorry this took so long and I know you wanted more, so this chapter is dedicated to you!


	9. Healing and Blossoming

Everything had to be perfect. Amaya only hoped that Honey would remember the candles. She had spent the day before in the school culinary room, preparing a cheesecake for Mori-senpai's birthday. Although it had taken her longer than usual because she had to maneuver with crutches, baking Mori a cake was the least she could do for all of his help during her stay in the hospital. He had visited her almost every day, bringing her homework and catching her up on lectures. Some days, Honey or other members of the Host Club would join him, but she preferred being alone with him, hearing him read excerpts from various books on the many periods in Japan's history. Hearing him speak was truly a treat, even if he was only reading aloud from books.

The entire Host Club had been so kind to her following the fight. She had received a sizeable chunk of money from an anonymous donor that covered her hospital bills, and she was sure it had come from someone in the club. They handled all of the details beautifully, including dealing with the Sendo syndicate about Rin's loss. Amaya had been told that there was no longer anything to worry about, although she was still dying with curiosity to know how the whole process had played out.

It would take another four weeks before her cast would come off, and she was ready for things to go back to normal. Mostly, she wanted to begin rehabilitation and walk on two legs. She missed karate and the feeling of fluidity in her movement. The cast made her feel bulky and awkward all the time. Because she wasn't able to do many of her normal activities, she often found herself in quiet reveries, reflecting on her mother, Mori, Honey, the tea house, and her future. During these reveries she often found herself intently focused on her mother's old ring, marveling in the beauty of the filigree set around the ruby. She wished she knew where her mother had acquired it.

When she wasn't alone, she spent much of her time with the Host Club sitting with Honey and Mori, despite what her father had threatened.

On one of her last days at the hospital, Yorihisa had paid her a visit. He had walked in and sat down, choosing to maintain silence for a few minutes. His first words:

"You are an embarrassment and a shame to the Haninozuka family."

Silence.

"No," Amaya replied, looking toward her bandaged foot. "I am YOUR embarrassment and YOUR shame." She knew that she would be treated with much more respect if she were a legitimate child of the Haninozuka family. Her statement was followed by more silence. "Is that all you came here to say?" she finally asked.

Her father slammed his fist onto the bedside table, cracking the wood in his anger and startling Amaya. She looked into her father's eyes, finding them filled with anger and frustration...and perhaps, regret?

"You can't make me disappear, so why do you fight my existence so profusely?" she asked him, desperate to know why he harbored so much hate toward her.

Silence filled the room with a weight so heavy that it pressed against Amaya's heart. She spoke again, words bubbling from her mouth.

"What memories do you have of my mother? I remember her as a wonderful, loving, and kind person, but strict, with a reverence for tradition. She never mentioned you, but when I asked her about my father, she would always turn away from me. I never knew why, until one day, when I was older, I caught sight of her tears. She was trying to hide her sadness. I think she loved you, very much.

"I am sorry," she continued, not letting Yorihisa speak lest she forget her words. "I am sorry that your relationship with my mother caused tension and harm to your family and the Morinozuka family. It is clear that you love your wife very much, that you would wish to erase me from this world. I am sure she is wonderful and very worthy of your love and your whole heart, but mom was wonderful too. If, at any point you had any love for her. Even just a fondness for her…if you had that, could it, would it be able to extend…in any form…to me?"

"You ask for too much," her father replied, hardening his heart.

Tears escaped Amaya's eyes, rolling slowly down her cheeks.

"When you return to Ouran, I want you to have no further contact with either of my sons, nor Takashi Morinozuka."

"You know that's not possible," she said quietly. "They will seek me out."

"Let them go, or life will be very hard for you. I guarantee that," her father replied. He stood up and left the room without another word.

"It already is..." Amaya spoke only to herself.

* * *

She placed raspberries on top of the cake. There was no possible way she could ignore Honey. It was against her power to resist him. No matter how hard she actively tried to avoid Honey and Mori, they would always find her. She wasn't sure if her father knew about Honey's attachment. It definitely wouldn't make him happy.

Amaya left one of her crutches in the culinary room so she could carry the cheesecake in one hand and hobble on a crutch with the other. Thankfully, the music room wasn't too far away. She only hoped that the kendo club hadn't ended early.

She reached the door and was about to push it open when a familiar voice called her name.

"Amaya, where is your other crutch?" Mori asked her.

 _Crap…_ she thought.

"I made a cheesecake!" she said excitedly, hoping he'd change the subject if she did.

"Where is your other crutch?" he repeated.

"Um…not here? Come on, let's just get inside the music room."

"Not until you get your second crutch," he said.

She groaned in frustration. "It's in the culinary room," she said. He started walking in that direction.

"No!" she cried. He had done so much for her already, and she was tired of being an invalid. She was not going to have him retrieve her crutch for her. "Hold this and take it in…I'll go get it." She shoved the cheesecake toward him. He'd have to face his birthday surprise without her.

She found her crutch where she had left it and made her way back to the music room. She heard noise from within and was hoping that the surprise had worked out as planned. She pushed the door open. Her mouth dropped. Of course it hadn't.

The cheesecake was on the floor, again. Tamaki was yelling at the twins. It was like déjà vu. One of the curtains had been severely singed, and Mori was holding a fire extinguisher, putting out the last of the flames. Honey stood with the matches and the candles next to Kyoya. Kyoya was writing in his notebook, probably calculating the expenses of the damage. Haruhi had some paper towels and was cleaning up the mess that had been a cheesecake.

"Oh my Lord…" Amaya said.

"These curtains were heirloom fabrics given to the school by the Queen of England," Kyoya said to her. "They won't be cheap to replace."

"If you're expecting me to pay for them, I will fight you legally," she replied. "The person who set fire to them in the first place should pay for them."

Tamaki and the twins immediately stopped their bickering and looked at Amaya, bringing their argument to her.

"The King did it!" Hikaru said loudly.

"He was playing with the matches in the corner before Mori-senpai came in," Kaoru explained.

"I was playing with them safely! You two jerks pushed me toward the curtain! It was your fault the fire started!" Tamaki retorted. Amaya was beginning to get a headache.

"If you can't determine the blame," she said, anger laced in her tone, "You should split it evenly. Each of you covers a third of the cost." She was replaying probable scenes in her mind. Tamaki had probably never seen striking matches before and was fascinated by the process. Hikaru and Kaoru most likely bumped into him purposefully, and the flame lit up the curtains. Mori, holding the cheesecake, had jumped into action and dropped the dessert as a casualty.

"Amaya-chan, we still have lots of cake. Maybe we can celebrate with those?" Honey whispered, tugging at the hem of her dress.

"I think that is a wonderful idea," she said to him.

She hobbled over to a couch and sat down, her ankle starting to throb a little bit. Haruhi joined her.

"Thanks for cleaning up the cheesecake mess," Amaya told her.

"It's no problem. I was really looking forward to having some."

"Well, third time is a charm, right? Perhaps the next time I make one it will end up in people's mouths instead of on the floor."

Honey came from a separate room with a large cake. Mori was still working on cleaning up the curtains and taking the damaged ones down from the window. He wasn't paying attention to them.

"Tamaki!" she called, "Come here!" He immediately responded and stood in front of her like a soldier at attention.

"Give me the matches and the candles, and take your place," she said. Once she received them, she began placing eighteen of them in the cake. The rest of the club, except Mori (still at the curtains), gathered around her as she lit the candles.

"Ready?" she asked softly. "One, two, three…"

A beautiful arpeggio rang out from the piano, where Tamaki had gone to sit. Mori turned around at the sound, and the club began to sing happy birthday to him. They revealed the cake, beautifully lit. Amaya could swear Mori's face turned a little pink at the attention.

"Happy birthday Mori-senpai!" they cried out in unison when the song was finished.

"We're sorry for starting the fire," the twins and Tamaki said next. "And for making you drop your cheesecake."

"My cheesecake?" he asked, slightly confused.

"Sorry it's no cheesecake," Honey explained, carefully carrying the cake toward him, "but it is chocolate. One of your favorites!"

"Thank you, Mitsukuni." Mori took the cake, paused for a moment, and walked toward where Amaya was sitting. "Make a wish with me," he said.

Amaya turned a deep shade of pink. "...Okay..." she said meekly. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

 _I wish more than anything in this world to retain the friendships I have with you and Honey._

She opened her eyes, coming face to face with Takashi's grey irises. They blew out the candles together.

"Takashi! Amaya-chan! What did you wish for?" Honey asked excitedly.

"Honey, don't you know if you reveal your wishes they won't come true?" she asked.

"I wished for another cheesecake," Takashi told him.

"Your wish is my command," Amaya said, pouring some tea to go with the cake.

They all began to laugh as Haruhi cut the cake.

* * *

The day Amaya got her cast removed was a beautiful one. She was cleared to start easing into normal activities without crutches again and had a list of stretches and exercises to do every day to strengthen her ankle. Final exams were just a month away, but with that came summer. She could start training again and she was healed just in time to help Tomiju with some of the major repairs on the tea house. The hope was that they could finish it by the end of the summer, and with the money Amaya had received for tutoring, they could easily cover the costs.

She was beginning to fall in love with Japan for herself, rather than through her mother's memories. With her new friends by her side, she felt ready to face the year ahead and her impending graduation. Mori and Honey continued to keep her company, and so far there were no repercussions to their friendship. Although she was one of their 'regulars' at the Host Club during her injury, she also made it a point to talk with them outside of club activities.

Amaya had grown comfortable with the rest of the Host Club members as well, even pulling a few pranks with the Hitachiin brothers, and growing close to Haruhi, too. She found that the girl was mature, although two years her junior. Haruhi was also oblivious to the affection of the rest of the club members. Tamaki clearly liked her, as did the twins, and she had a feeling that Mori had even harbored romantic feelings toward Haruhi at some point or another. Amaya respected her too much to be jealous, though.

She was, however, jealous of all the time outside of school that the Host Club got to spend together. The club had gone to the beach, spent time at Haruhi's house, and constantly played 'commoner' games like kick-the-can and hide-and-seek. Amaya had been invited to all of these things, but the state of her injury impeded her from being able to participate, so she had politely declined. The days following each of these adventures consumed much of the conversation at the Host Club, and Amaya couldn't help but feel left out of the fun. In the past, when she was lonely, she usually hit the dojo to work out her frustration, but with her leg that had been impossible. Finally, however, she could get back to work.

She walked into campus at the end of the day, anxious to hit the dojo. The appointment to remove her cast had taken her out of class that day, but she wanted to test out how her ankle had healed to get an idea of how quickly or slowly rehabilitation would go.

She flipped on the lights, kicked off her shoes, and began to stretch, feeling where her ankle was tender or weak. She pulled out one of the punching bags and gently tested her roundhouse kicks, realizing sadly that some of her flexibility had been lost when she was healing. She was definitely stiff.

"What are you doing?"

"Geez! How do you always sneak up like that?" she asked, turning around to see Mori. He was still in his kendo gear, apparently having just gotten out of practice. "I'm testing it out," she said.

He stripped off his armor and stepped onto the deck in his gi and hakama. Amaya found herself deeply attracted to how comfortable and relaxed he appeared in his uniform. This was Mori, true to his core.

"Sit down," he commanded.

Amaya eyed him suspiciously, but complied. As she sat on the ground, he knelt in front of her, taking her newly freed ankle into his hands and gently putting pressure in the area. Amaya could feel blood slowly heating her cheeks as he touched her skin.

"Does this hurt?" he asked her.

"I can tell that it is tender, but it doesn't hurt."

He took her ankle in one hand and her foot in the other, slowly rotating it around and then pulling her foot forward and pushing it backward.

"How about this?"

"Stiff, but no pain."

"Point your toes." She did as he asked.

"Give me your other foot," he said. She complied. "Now point them both."

The difference between the two was immediately obvious. Although she had full range of rotation in her ankle, it would not extend to allow her foot to point the way her healthy ankle did.

"No more round house kicks. This muscle is still weak. If you put pressure on it when your foot is extended like this, you may tear one of the two tendons in this area."

"How do you know all this?" she asked him. He apparently had a large knowledge of anatomy and physiology.

"My family has dealt with and rehabilitated many of the injuries that the Haninozuka family sustains. We are taught enough to help them prevent further injury."

He held her heel and pressed her toes forward, stretching the muscles gently.

"You need to do other exercises to strengthen your ankle before you can start kicking again. You need to stop being reckless."

She didn't answer him and instead averted eye contact. As much as she wanted to argue with him, he was right. She had been reckless accepting the fight with Rin despite his protests, and had sustained enough injury to cause her to be more careful in the future.

"Sometimes I don't know how," she said. "I get so passionate that I forget to see what's safe."

"Don't lose your passion. I'll help you with everything else."

He had stopped stretching her ankle, but was still holding her foot.

"Why?" Amaya asked, truly wanting to know why this tall, handsome boy cared for her in this way. "Why aren't you running away from me? You know just as well as I that the Haninozuka family wants nothing to do with me. I may have Haninozuka blood, but you don't owe me anything. And if you give me the excuse that 'Honey likes me,' I won't believe it. You've done too much for me apart from him that that can't be true."

His answer was short and simple.

"Because we're friends."

He let go of her foot and stood up, reaching a hand to help her. As he pulled her up, she used the momentum to hug him, burying her face into his chest. He was warm and still smelled wonderful, despite having just worked out himself. Mori was taken aback with surprise, but wrapped his arms around her nonetheless. She turned her head up and looked at him, tears wetting her eyes.

"T-t-takashi…" she said, using his name for the first time. He smiled and wiped away a tear that had escaped from her eye.

He smiled down at her, pleased at the sound of his name.

"Thank you, Takashi. Thank you for everything."

* * *

By the time finals rolled around, Amaya was ready for summer. Exams went smoothly, and Amaya was pleased that she managed to outscore Takashi, who was pushed to third in their class. She had tied scores with Honey, and they took the top two spots.

"Looks like you won't lose your scholarship," Kyoya said when she entered the music room. "Unlike Haruhi."

"Where is everyone?" Amaya asked him.

"They're all watching Ayame Jounouchi tutor Haruhi. She has to take the make up exam."

"Isn't that…counterproductive?" she asked him.

"One would think, but Tamaki has grand delusions that his presence actually helps Haruhi study."

"Kyoya," Amaya began, changing the subject and taking advantage of finding Kyoya alone. "Thank you, first of all, for your family's help in the aftermath of my fight. The surgeon did a wonderful job."

"We take pride in hiring the most competent doctors."

"Maybe I shouldn't be asking this, but who covered the expenses of the surgery?"

"You know 'anonymous' means that a person or party would rather remain unknown, don't you?"

"I also know that an 'anonymous' label doesn't keep someone like Kyoya Ootari from knowing."

Kyoya smiled mischievously. "Oh you're astute. Your donor happened to be the father of one of your close friends. The Morinozuka family covered the costs, but be careful with that information…Mori-senpai doesn't know."

"The Morinozuka family covered the costs? Do you know why?"

"I don't think you quite understand the history between the Morinozuka family and the Haninozuka family. The Morinozuka family will support the Haninozuka family no matter what the cost."

"But…I'm not a Haninozuka."

"No, but you are a thorn in the side of the Haninozuka family. It would be best if word of your existence wasn't known around certain circles, or those rumors we discussed earlier might just become reality. Keeping you cared for and happy is the best way to keep you quiet."

Amaya winced at his words. She was now indebted to the Morinozuka family.

"How much was the bill?" she asked him.

"You don't want to know," he replied.

The door burst open and the Host Club entered the room. Tamaki was leading the pack like he was on a mission.

"Kyoya! I have an idea for a June event! We need to have an Iris festival!"

"Here we go…" Kyoya said, as he pushed up his glasses and began typing on his laptop.

Amaya turned toward her friends.

"Amaya-chan! You tied with me!" Honey cried happily, referring to the class scores. "Takashi wasn't very happy."

"Sorry Takashi," she said, directing her attention to the strong and silent face that stood before her.

"Hn."

"You know it's your fault, right?"

Takashi looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

"I would never have scored that high had you not prepped me in Japanese History. Turns out you might need my help in science…" she trailed off. He narrowed his eyes at her and went to pour himself some tea.

"Hey Amaya-sama," the twins said, approaching her. "What are your plans for this summer? Going anywhere?"

"I'm staying in town," she said. "There's quite a bit of work to be done at Tomiju-sama's tea house. Once we're done though, you should all come to visit. It's going to be beautiful."

"That's too bad, we were going to see if you wanted to come to Fiji with us, since Haruhi turned us down.

"Ah yes, Haruhi. She's staying in town too…"

In reality, Haruhi was going to work at a pension in Karuizawa with a friend of her father's. She had invited Amaya to stay for a week, but made it clear that she didn't want the rest of the Host Club to know.

Amaya was excited about her summer plans. She wasn't going to join Haruhi in Karuizawa right away, but rather would backpack there by foot along the Nakasendo Trail. The popular trail used to be an old highway that samurai and shogun would travel during the Edo period. There were many so-called 'post towns' along the trail, still preserved from the past. She imagined it would be like entering a piece of history. Her plan was to start in Magome and hike through five towns before taking a train to Karuizawa and ending her week. Her ankle was just about healed, and even though she wasn't supposed to push it, a few days of walking couldn't hurt too much. The rest of the summer would be spent with Tomiju at the tea house, gardening and decorating, all in preparation for the re-grand opening that fall, and she would have plenty of time to rest her foot then.

"Honey-senpai, what are your plans for the summer?" she asked him, knowing full well that Takashi would probably be doing the same thing.

"Well, we might go to Switzerland, but we haven't decided yet," he said. "It's too bad you can't come with us."

"I'll be safe and sound here," she responded. She was cut off by Tamaki.

"Irises! We need irises!"

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks again to everyone who followed, favorited, read and reviewed! I'm happy to get to the point where Amaya and Takashi are fully accepting their friendship...they'll address their attraction soon. ;) I'm doing my best to keep up with updates and writing...I've got a few arcs planned so I have no intention of stopping soon. I'm always happy to hear your feedback though.

Thank you to RTTree, acompletenerd, and all the guests who reviewed.


	10. Princesses Don't Require Samurai

Amaya awoke early the first morning of summer break. It was just before dawn when she slipped out of the house with her stuffed backpack. As she walked to the train station she mentally went through the stages of her trip, breaking down each segment of her walk in the coming few days. The train would take her from Tokyo to Magome, where she would start her walk along the Nakasendo Trail. Her first day would be a short 8-kilometer walk from Magome to Tsumago, which she anticipated being one of the highlights of her trip. Tsumago had the reputation of being one of the best preserved of the post towns along the Nakasendo Trail, with buildings and streets that matched the architecture of the Edo period. She had booked a room at a ryokan, or local inn, where she would find herself a hot meal and a place to sleep.

Amaya slept during the train ride, but was wide awake by the time they rolled into Magome. Although the sun had only been up for a few hours by that point, she was surprised at how many visitors the small town already had. Although the town was beautiful, the tourist feel had her itching to get onto the trail itself. She had hoped for solitude, and as soon as she set foot on the trail, she found her peace. She was pleased to find that there weren't many people on the trail. Perhaps it was still too early in the day for most people to begin their walk, but the cobbled and shaded path was pleasant and quiet. Every now and again she passed a tourist going in the other direction, but she was mostly alone and consumed with her thoughts.

She had expected the walk to be relaxing, but as she continued to walk she found that her mind was succumbing to an overwhelming loneliness. The thumb on her left hand reached to touch her middle finger, where she normally wore her mother's ring. She had removed it for the hike, and the absence of the familiar band around her finger was nerve-wracking, even though she knew it was safely in the zippered pocket of her bag. She paused to remove it and put it on her finger. It was too fine a piece of jewelry for physical activity, but she needed the feeling of the band to remind herself that she wasn't alone. Her mother was always with her.

Although Amaya was often lonely, the feeling didn't normally overwhelm her because the bustling city of Tokyo surrounded her. She kept herself too preoccupied with school, her friends, and the tea house to truly notice how lonely she was. Here, in the middle of the quiet forest, the familiar feeling of not belonging slowly made its way to the back of her mind. Her mother was gone. Her father didn't love her. She didn't fit in with the status level of her friends. She yearned for a familial relationship with Honey, but they were separated by a secret surrounded by so much hatred that she couldn't bear to reveal it. And then there was Takashi. Takashi was a whole other realm of emotion.

As loneliness seeped into her mind, doubt also placed its seed.

 _Takashi is a Morinozuka._ _They are a loyal family._ _Is his kindness to me out of respect for the fact that I have Haninozuka blood?_ _Is he only kind to me because he knows I am Honey's sister?_ As much as she didn't think that he would do that intentionally, she couldn't shake the feeling that if she had no relation to the Haninozuka family, they would not be friends at all. She tried to push the thought from her mind, but to no avail.

Amaya had always found Takashi attractive, and she still had to quench the butterflies that swirled inside of her each time he gave her a soft look or one of his subtle smiles. Now, especially with their friendship, it was hard to distance herself from romantic feelings towards him. Underneath his silent and imposing exterior, he was truly a kind and gentle person. The opposing elements, cold yet warm, distant yet intimate...the yin and yang within him spoke to a deeper part of her soul. But, despite her attraction to him, there was no indication that she was truly special to him. He was kind to everyone, and yet he turned down every girl who confessed to him. Why would Amaya be any different? And to worsen her chances, they were distantly related through infidelity. Even if he was attracted to her, there was no possible way he would act on those feelings.

And yet, there were always these treasured moments Amaya felt when she was with him. Moments where his look softened, as if seeing her pleased him. Her mind wandered back to that very first dance they had shared on Christmas Eve. Surely he hadn't danced with anyone else like that, had he? Or when he let her stay at his home after the ordeals at the water park. He read to her every day in the hospital, and brought her homework, catching her up on that day's lectures. Would he really have done all that just if he wasn't interested in her? Back in California, the boys who liked her always made an extra effort. At that time, Amaya had been oblivious to the attention, but her mother saw it all. Her mother would have known what to do. She had been a wonderful judge of character, and could tell what others were thinking before they even knew they were thinking of it.

Amaya allowed herself to think of her mother, and the pain of her mother's death shadowed over her. Breast cancer had taken her, at only age 37. It had been found at an annual doctor's appointment, and there were complications with treatment that had ultimately set her mother's course to die. By the time she was diagnosed, Amaya only had one year with her. In fact, her walk on the Nakasendo Trail coincided with the date her mother left her world.

Throughout the time between her mother's diagnosis and her death, she had been thoroughly positive. In fact, Amaya was convinced that her mother would get better. The doctor had been positive, too, and had given her mother another two years to live. Then, one day, she was gone.

Amaya entered the town of Tsumago in the afternoon and took a deep breath, driving away her reverie of sadness. The air was pure, and it indeed felt like she had stepped into another time period. No cars, no phone lines, just a long street flanked by older looking, yet well kept, buildings.

The ryokan she was staying at was along the main road, so she met the innkeeper and dropped off her bag. She changed into a summer kimono, or yukata, before finding a quick lunch near the inn. She wanted to make sure she had enough time to see the Honjin, which served as the main inn of the town over 200 years before, as well as the museum, before they closed.

As she perused the various historical artifacts in the museum and around town, many of the lessons Takashi had given her on that particular period in Japanese History came back to her. She had always enjoyed history, but had quickly fallen in love particularly with the depth and complexity of Japanese History. It was easy to fall in love with, especially when Takashi was so enthusiastic about it. She wasn't sure where her future was leading and if she would stay in Japan after graduation, so her goal was to see as much of it as quickly as possible. Experiencing the history was a part of that goal.

 _I should thank him_ …she thought. Takashi had given her so much help with her schoolwork that the least she could do is repay him in some form. She would worry about repaying the entire Morinozuka family for covering the costs of her surgery later…

Many of the shops she wandered into had various trinkets and souvenirs, but nothing quite perfect enough for the boy who had the entirety of Japan's history written on the pages in his mind. She meandered into an antique shop, and immediately knew what she wanted to get him. While many antiques from the Edo era were on display around the shop, a small knife in a case behind the counter caught her eye. The woman who worked in the shop saw where she was looking.

"Ah, I see you have fine taste. That dagger is from the mid-Edo period."

"May I see it?" Amaya asked. The woman took the knife from the case and handed it to her. While the blade was worn, it wasn't rusted, and the handle had been kept in good condition. She knew the knife would be expensive, and she doubted she could afford it. Still, she asked the price.

"40,000 yen," the woman said. It was a fair price, but still much above what Amaya could afford. She was immediately jealous of the expendable income that her friends in the Host Club had at their disposal. She handed the knife back to the woman.

"That is a beautiful ring," the woman said.

"Yes, it was my mother's." The woman took Amaya's hand and put on her glasses, carefully studying the filigreed design.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think these were triple hollyhocks. Whoever designed this must have had the Tokugawa clan in mind. It's exquisite. I'd be careful with that if I were you."

Amaya looked at the ring, and supposed she could see the connection. The filigree was twined around the ruby into what looked like three hearts, which were what Amaya had always assumed they were. Now, in the shop in Tsumago, surrounded by the Tokugawa clan crest, she could definitely see the resemblance in the design.

Many members of the Tokugawa clan had ruled as shogun during the Edo era. The family had descended from Emperor Seiwa, back in the 800 B.C, and was still prominent in Japan's high society. In fact, had the family had any children her age, they would probably be educated at Ouran.

 _What a strange coincidence_ , Amaya thought as she left the shop. Her mother had never mentioned the Tokugawa family, and so she doubted that there was any connection. Still, the woman's warning about being careful rang in her mind. She slipped the ring off and safely stowed it in her bag when she was back at the ryokan. Finally, after a good home cooked meal, she lay down and drifted quickly off to sleep.

Dreams quickly overtook her.

 _No longer in her ryokan, Amaya was walking through the forest in the dark. Shadows covered her path, snaking around her as she stepped carefully around each cobblestone._

 _Two larger shadows loomed in the distance. Warily, she approached them, only to find her two friends, Takashi and Honey, silently looking at her. Both were dressed as samurai. Their faces were filled with no emotion, but both of them pointed in a single direction.  
_

 _"Go," Honey said in a monotone voice._

 _"Go," Takashi followed._

 _"What are you talking about?" she asked them, afraid to move closer lest she find the vision was reality._

 _"Follow your heart," Honey replied. "Go."_

 _She looked where their hands were pointing. Suddenly, the brilliance of the warm sun overtook her. Instead of the darkness of the forest, she was transported to the middle of the sunset, burning and bright and full of warmth, but the heat was smothering her. She heard a rustling behind her and turned to see what the sound was. Behind her was only darkness, but the rustling grew louder and louder...  
_

Amaya opened her eyes. The rustling was still present. She became acutely aware that someone was in her room and that they were rummaging through her bag. She sat up quickly, startling the intruder, who in turn jumped through the open window and disappeared.

"Hey!" she yelled.

Immediately Amaya threw off her sheets and jumped out the window after her midnight intruder. She landed harshly on the cobblestones outside the ryokan, but caught sight of the intruder and began to chase after him. She saw a light flip on in her periphery, knowing she had woken her host.

The intruder was wearing dark clothing, but in the moonlight she could make out that his form was slender and not much taller than herself. However, the speed with which he ran was already taxing her breath.

"Stop!" she cried, "Thief!" She pushed herself to chase even faster as lights began popping on around Tsumago. She made sure to make enough noise that she would wake the whole village. She followed him into the woods, straining her eyes to catch glimpses of his form. Suddenly, she had an idea. She stopped, listening to for sound of his pounding feet on the ground. The sound grew fainter and fainter, but stopped abruptly. She could still hear his heavy breathing. Silently, she tiptoed toward the sound, this time using the darkness to her own advantage. He was not aware of her presence. Finally, she was upon him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a swift chokehold.

After a quick struggle, the thief was unconscious, and Amaya found her own heart beating wildly. Lanterns and voices came from a distance in the forest.

"Over here!" she called as the lanterns drew near.

The first face that she saw through the dark woods was that of the woman from the antique shop.

"You've caught her!" she cried, incredulous.

 _Her?_ Amaya looked down to study her mysterious intruder. Indeed, the body was lithe and of female form.

"Who is she?" Amaya asked, turning toward the older woman. Others were now starting to gather and the circle of light grew larger. Two policemen took the woman and handcuffed her just as she started to come back to consciousness.

"A thief well-known to this area. Quite a good one, too. No matter how much security I put around my shop, she manages to pick a lock or sneak through the tiniest of openings."

The older woman walked toward the thief and picked up a bag from off the ground. Inside it were already a handful of valuable trinkets, including Amaya's ring.

"Here," she said, handing it out toward Amaya. "I believe this is yours."

"Thank you," she said, inspecting the ring for damage.

"Ah, she took some things from my store tonight, too. Including..." she pulled out a small knife, the exact one that Amaya had eyed in the store a earlier that day. "Here," she said, handing it to Amaya. "Take it."

"I can't possibly-"

"Take it. It is the least we can do to you for finally catching her. This woman has been terrorizing us on and off for years."

"Thank you..." Amaya responded, speechless.

"Come, I'll make you some tea. With all this excitement we'll hardly get back to sleep. It's not often we have a contemporary samurai protecting our village." She winked, smiling at Amaya. "I'll tell you the history of that knife if you'd like."

"Please!" she said, flattered that she was being compared to a samurai. She took one last glance at the thief's face, memorizing her features.

* * *

Amaya's next two days were filled with lots of walking. She traveled another 18 kilometers before making it to Kiso-Fukushima, where she happily rested her feet at one of the natural hot springs in the area. The trail was dotted with teahouses and rest points, and Amaya had taken the walk leisurely, resulting in an eight-hour travel time by foot. After the events in Tsumago, she found that her ankle was slightly more swollen and tender than anticipated, but there was no pain when she walked. On the final day, it was another six hours to Hirasawa, where she found a good meal before taking the train in the evening to Karuizawa. She arrived to the front gate of the pension where Haruhi was working just as the sun was setting. Amaya was exhausted, but everything around her was so peaceful…

"Refreshing brotherly love! One hundred refreshing points!" Came a voice from around the side.

Amaya tried to get past the gate, but couldn't open it because the lock was stuck. She hopped it with her bag and walked around the corner to the back, just in time to hear the same voice say, "The winners are the Hitachiin brothers!"

The first sight that Amaya saw disturbed her in multiple ways. First, a window was lying on the deck, broken. Second, the voice was coming from a man dressed like a woman. Third, the entirety of the Host Club was present. Fourth, her stomach flipped as soon as she saw Takashi. Why was it that she was always met with a discordant sight when she happened upon this particular group of boys and their lone female?

"What in the world happened here?" she asked, and all eyes turned toward her.

"Amaya-senpai! You're here! I was wondering when you were going to make it in!" Haruhi said.

"What are they doing here?" she asked, referring to all the boys.

"What are you doing here?" Honey asked her, his curiosity intensifying his adorable face.

"I…am…staying…with Haruhi…for a week…ish," she responded. The memory of telling the boys that she would be staying in Tokyo the entire break was vivid in her mind, and she was sure it was vivid in theirs as well.

"You look like you've been traveling," Hikaru stated flatly.

"Well, I did take a few days to walk the Nakasendo Trail…" she knew she was caught, red handed.

"How far?" a deep voice asked. _Oh no…_

"From Magome," she said quietly, fidgeting with her hands.

"Sit down," Takashi said immediately, pointing to the steps that led up to the deck. The rest of the club took that as their cue to leave, and everyone began tiptoeing in different directions, including Honey. Amaya's last-ditch effort to make eye contact with him failed miserably. She knew that pushing her ankle's capability to heal by walking that far wasn't the greatest idea, but she certainly didn't want to be alone with Takashi to hear about it.

Amaya sighed heavily, taking off her pack and sitting down.

"Amaya, I'll show you your room whenever you two are done," Haruhi said. "And I'm sorry…they weren't supposed to be here."

"It's okay. I'll tell you about my trip tomorrow."

Takashi knelt down and began to unlace Amaya's shoe.

"Takashi, you don't have to—"

"It's swollen."

Amaya looked away stubbornly as Takashi began to unwrap the bandage she had used for compression during her walk, gently pressing his fingers into her ankle. It was more tender than it should have been, and she knew she had pushed it farther than she had originally meant to. He started in on the normal stretches, first rotating her ankle.

Since the beginning of their rehabilitation sessions, Amaya's flexibility had significantly improved. She hadn't told Takashi that she was going to hike because she was afraid he would tell her no, and she didn't want to directly defy him.

"Point your toes."

"I went slowly," she said.

"Flex your toes."

She looked back to the boy in front of her, kneeling and taking care of her. She wanted to reach out her hand and stroke his cheek or run her fingers through his dark hair, but she refrained.

"Sorry," she finally said.

He stopped prodding and looked up into her eyes. "You're reckless," he said.

"You're protective," she countered.

He didn't answer, and went back to stretching her foot.

"Why do you always take care of me?" she asked him.

"We're friends," he said, giving her the same answer as before.

"No, I mean, why don't I ever get to take care of you?"

"Take care of me by taking care of yourself."

She sighed heavily. Takashi never did anything for himself. His happiness was found in the happiness of others, and likewise his sadness, and almost every other emotion. Amaya didn't like causing him concern, especially when she felt none for herself. Additionally, she never knew what to do for him. She wanted to provide for him the way he provided for her, and she was afraid that would never happen. Instead, she changed the subject.

"Have you ever walked the Nakasendo Trail?" she asked.

"Yes." He didn't pause nor look up from massaging the tender muscles in her ankle.

"Did you ever stay in Tsumago, at one of the traditional ryokan?"

She saw his eyes flicker toward her, and she knew she had him. She could always bait him with the history of samurai and shogun.

"It's like stepping back in time," she said, her mind wandering back to the towns along her walk. "No technology, no distractions, home cooked meals by firelight... Imagine being a samurai and traveling, protecting a shogun or a princess, and stopping at the temples and towns along the way." Her thoughts were back in Tsumago, recalling her evening as a modern-day samurai. "Do you ever wish you could live back then?"

"A samurai's life was hard," he responded. "Women were treated with less respect, and none could ever be samurai." Takashi stopped rubbing her ankle. When he looked at her face, he was surprised to see it downcast, and realized he had just crushed her idealized fantasy.

"I prefer now," he said, and his heart fell when she didn't catch the double meaning in his words. She wouldn't meet his eyes. He wrapped her ankle and picked up her shoe and her backpack. "Come, you're tired."

She waiting a second, fighting back tears that sprung from nowhere, before following him inside and taking a seat at a table where the rest of the club had gathered.

"Amaya, this is Misuzu. He owns the pension," Haruhi said, introducing her to the older cross-dresser.

"Nice to meet you," Amaya smiled. "By the way, the latch on your front gate is stuck, I had to hop it to get in. I thought I should let you know."

In response, Misuzu turned toward Tamaki. "Didn't I put you in charge of fixing the fence?!" she fumed. Tamaki's eyes went wide and he shrunk back. "Infinite refreshing points, deducted," she said finally, and Tamaki's eyes began streaming comically with tears as he hung his head.

"Hey boss, looks like you'll never catch up, ever." In unison, the twins sounded more evil than usual.

"We've got your room all set up. You'll be next door to the twins," Haruhi said.

"Wait, is everyone staying here?" Amaya asked, confused.

"No, there wasn't enough room," Honey piped up, explaining. "We had a competition today to see who would get the last one. The rest of us are going to stay at my vacation home."

"We'll be back in the morning though," Tamaki said, glaring at the twins.

"Speaking of, we should be leaving," Kyoya added.

Amaya set her tea down and stood up, ready to sleep herself. She looked for her bags and found them by Takashi's feet. He picked them up before she could reach for them.

"Well isn't that just gentlemanly!" Misuzu exclaimed. "You know where her room is, Mori?"

He nodded and began to walk up the stairs. Amaya followed.

"You don't have to do everything for me, you know," she told him as soon as they had entered her room. She was beginning to get frustrated. "Takashi!"

At her exclamation of his name, Takashi looked at the girl standing in front of him and waited expectantly for her next words.

"I'm not a child!" she said, exasperated that their friendship felt so one-sided. "Either let me take care of myself or let me do something for you. I can't stand feeling helpless!" A tear finally escaped the corner of her eye and she hastily wiped it away. She was exhausted and mad that her confidence in her own abilities didn't seem to be recognized.

His eyes widened. She was adamant, and her outburst surprised him. Finally, it clicked. Yes, he was protective, but this girl in front of him was independent. She wanted to feel needed. She wanted to provide for her friends, just as he felt the need to provide for her and Honey. She was, indeed, more like a samurai than a princess. He thought for a moment before smiling. He knew what she could do for him, and he sincerely hoped she would enjoy it.

"Explore Karuizawa with me," he said. It was not what she was expecting. As she stood still, trying to comprehend spending a day in Karuizawa with him, he gave her a gentle caress on the cheek and exited the room.

 _What just happened? Did Takashi just ask me on a date?_ Amaya's face turned warm at the thought.

"What just happened?" came a voice from her door.

"Did Mori-senpai just ask you on a date?"

Amaya whirled around, mortified at the thought of being overheard. The twins were standing there with a mischevious glint in their eyes. It was like they were reading her thoughts.

"No," she said immediately, trying frantically to think of a cover. Nothing came to her.

"It's a date," they said in unison.

"It is not a date!"

"Sure," Kaoru said sarcastically.

"Whatever you say," Hikaru chimed in. The started laughing and entered their room, leaving her alone.

 _It's not a date,_ she thought to herself. _Is it a date? I didn't plan for a date…I don't have anything nice to wear!_

She closed the door and put on her pajamas, getting ready for bed. _It's Takashi. He wouldn't ask me on a date. Especially without Honey's knowledge. Wait. Does Honey know?_

She pulled back the blankets and slipped into bed. _He keeps saying we're friends. That means we're friends. Nothing more. It can't be a date. It's just a couple of friends, talking about the history of a town that survived the Edo era…nothing more. DEFINITELY not a date._

Weariness overtook her and pulled her into a deep sleep, despite the fact that she hadn't fully convinced herself that it wasn't a date.

* * *

 **A/N:** ARRRRGGGGHHHHHH I'M SO SORRY I'M SO SLOW AT POSTING CHAPTERS. You are all so patient with me. I really do appreciate everyone's support, comments, reviews, help with the Japanese suffixes...all the following and favoriting makes me feel so good, and I'm so happy that you all like this story! WHICH MAKES IT EVEN WORSE BECAUSE I HAVEN'T POSTED IN WHAT FEELS LIKE YEARS (months). In an effort to post this now, I'm not gonna thank everyone individually right now. That'll come in an edit or at the end of the next chapter (at least, I intend to do that).

Once again, YOU'RE ALL SO GREAT! AND I'M SO BAD!

Sorry,

But you all have my love :)


	11. What's the Definition of a Date?

Amaya was eating lunch on a clear, sunny afternoon two days after Takashi had requested her presence when exploring Karuizawa. She had gotten over the fact that she didn't know if it was truly a date and was instead just excited to spend time with him. She was also reveling in the fact that she could gleefully tease Hikaru about his 'date' with Haruhi the day before. After the hell the twins had given Amaya about her 'date' with Takashi, she felt no remorse laying it back on them. The two first years had been caught on a thunderstorm during their outing, but it cleared through the night and left one of the brightest days she had seen in a long time.

Thus far, Karuizawa had proved to be incredibly refreshing, especially after her prior days of long walking. The Host Club had followed Haruhi and Hikaru the day before, but she opted to stay back at the pension, instead enjoying Misuzu's company and perusing the bookshelves for a good adventure novel. Unfortunately, the cross-dressing man had a love of romance novels that seemed to proliferate on the shelves. She settled instead on a piece of Japanese literature, entitled The Tale of Genji. Written in the 12th century, it was possibly considered the oldest written novel in the world. The book was part of Ouran's curriculum in the third year of middle school, but she had never read it.

The story began with the character of Hikaru Genji, the son of an emperor and his concubine. However, Genji was considered illegitimate and was demoted to the status of a commoner. Amaya thought that it seemed appropriate. The majority of the book dealt with aspects of Genji's life, his interactions with the royal family, and of course, love affairs. Misuzu wouldn't have a book on the shelf that didn't contain at least some amount of promiscuity.

Amaya was reading on the couch that afternoon when Takashi walked through the door of the pension. The rest of the Host Club members were milling about, talking with each other and drinking iced tea when he walked over to Amaya, asking if she was ready. She smiled, put a bookmark in the pages, and stood up. He opened the door for her and they left, walking down the street.

"Where do you think those two are going?" Haruhi asked as Mori and Amaya left together.

Kaoru was the first to answer. "If you ask me, it looks like they're going on a date." He glanced sideways at his twin and they winked at each other.

"I don't know," responded Haruhi. "They really aren't dressed like they're doing anything special."

Tamaki piped up, joining in the conversation. "Well, Amaya doesn't have Ranka to buy cute clothes for her, so perhaps she doesn't have anything nice to wear!"

"I doubt that's the case," said Kyoya in a disinterested tone. "She could clean up well if she wanted to. She probably didn't bring anything nice with her. She has been hiking the Nakasendo Trail, after all."

"So it wasn't a planned date," deduced Hikaru, planting seeds for the group with his twin.

"Of course it wasn't a planned date," Haruhi observed. "She didn't even know you were all going to be here before a couple of days ago. Wait…does Mori-senpai even go on dates?" Haruhi wondered aloud.

They all looked at each other, each one suddenly curious.

"He always turns down the girls that confess to him at school," Tamaki stated. "He's so devoted to Honey-senpai that he's never gone with a girl."

The whole group turned to Honey, who had remained oddly silent throughout the whole discussion.

"What?" Honey asked innocently as the group stared.

"Is Mori-senpai really going on a date?" Tamaki asked.

"I don't know," Honey lied, sort of. Mitsukuni could easily tell that Takashi was drawn to Amaya. He even pushed Takashi to get to know her more personally, despite the family history. While they still didn't talk about Amaya directly, they engaged in extensive conversations surrounding the family drama. Mitsukuni liked Amaya and was fully supportive of a relationship between the two, but he also knew that if the couple acted on their feelings, they would have a long, hard road ahead of them. Giving the Host Club that information would only begin the hardship earlier.

"If Mori-senpai didn't tell Honey-senpai anything, then it can't be a date," observed Tamaki.

The twins were not about to let this opportunity pass them by. Hikaru spoke up first. "But haven't you noticed that she started calling him 'Takashi,' instead of Mori-San? They must be pretty close if she's that familiar with him."

"Yeah, but they are in the same class," said Haruhi. "She studies with him all the time now. It's no different from our friendship," she told the twins.

"No different," agreed Kaoru, "and you went on a date with Hikaru yesterday."

Tamaki began silently fuming.

"Sure, but that doesn't mean I'm romantically attracted to you," said Haruhi, absent-mindedly. Immediately Tamaki's face brightened, while the twins looked at each other and rolled their eyes at Haruhi's bluntness.

Kyoya finally spoke up, addressing Haruhi. "Why don't you just ask Amaya if it was a date when she gets back? Girls like to talk about that stuff, don't they?"

"That's perfect!" shouted Tamaki. "It'll give you two a chance to bond over your crushes!" He was imagining Haruhi telling Amaya about her secret feelings for himself.

"I don't have any crushes," Haruhi said blankly. Tamaki slumped over in disappointment while the twins snickered at him. "And how do you know that Amaya likes him that way?"

The boys stared at her in disbelief.

"Haruhi, sometimes you're so oblivious," Hikaru stated.

"Have you not noticed they way she looks at him?" Tamaki asked.

Honey spoke up. "Her face brightens immediately. It's subtle, but a similar reaction to when I see a piece of cake."

"So…" Haruhi put her finger to her chin in thought, "Amaya's favorite cake is…Mori-senpai?"

The twins eyed each other, knowing that they had won. This conversation wasn't boring, and they'd make sure it would continue for a while.

"What do you think Mori-senpai is thinking?" mused Kaoru. The game had begun.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Takashi and Amaya walked down the street together in a peaceful silence. Amaya felt so refreshed that she didn't care where he was taking her, waiting instead to be pleasantly surprised. Whether this was truly a date would be left for time to tell. Either way, she was happy to be spending time alone with Takashi.

She looked up at him while they walked, thinking back upon how they had become such good friends in such a short time, and how different he was than she first suspected. While she was still very much attracted to him, his friendship now meant more to her than any romantic inclinations she had. He still gave her butterflies when he looked at her, but after getting to know him his mystery subsided. Her curiosity had been somewhat satiated, and he didn't occupy her thoughts the way he used to. He occupied them in a wholly different sense now. She analyzed his strong features, taking in his dark, grey eyes, strong nose, and smooth lips. He definitely had kissable lips. She noticed that his hair was particularly groomed today, although he hadn't dressed up in any other way.

"Takashi," she began, turning her head back to the road, "what are you thinking right now?"

It was his turn to look down to her. "I'm wondering where we should go to eat."

She smiled. The Host Club had played the 'what is Mori-senpai thinking' game earlier that month. Everyone's answer had to do with food…perhaps that was what he thought about most of the time.

"Did you eat lunch?" she asked.

"Yes, but Karuizawa has many delicious options."

"Like what?"

"There's a Yakitori place that Satoshi and I like, but Karuizawa is known for Soba. The blueberries in this area are also delicious, and many of the bakeries have good sweets. Our first stop is my family's favorite bakery."

Amaya wondered if Takashi's enthusiasm for food rivaled his enthusiasm for history. If so, she now knew two ways to get him to talk.

They continued to walk in relative silence before they reached a bustling pastry shop. Amaya breathed in deeply, taking in the scent of freshly baked bread, chocolate, and caramelized sugar.

"It smells delicious!" she said, excited about trying the pastries.

"It tastes better than it smells," Takashi said, a pleasant smile gracing his face.

They walked into the shop and were immediately greeted by the shop owner.

"Morinozuka-san! What a wonderful surprise. I wasn't sure your family would be in town this summer!"

"They're not. I'm visiting with Mitsukuni and some other friends from school," Takashi replied.

"Well please give them my warm regards. What can I do for you today?"

Takashi turned toward Amaya, watching her peruse the glass cases filled with delectable treats. "Whatever she would like," he said. "I'll take some of your blueberry bread and a dozen of your strawberry cream puffs, for Mitsukuni."

The owner began to pack the items in a box. By the time he was done, Amaya still hadn't made up her mind.

"What would you like?" the owner asked her, pleased that she found everything to look so delicious.

"It's a hard decision," she said, "but I think I'm going to go with the filled donut."

"Good choice," he replied, pulling a fluffy monstrosity from the shelf and adding it to the box.

Takashi pulled out his wallet and paid for the goodies. They sat outside at a table overlooking the street as they ate. Amaya took a bite of her donut, making an audible noise of surprise when she found it was filled with red bean paste. It was more delicious than she had expected.

"Red bean paste!" she said excitedly. "I'll trade you a bite for a bite?" she asked, eyeing his blueberry bread.

Takashi glanced from his blueberry bread to her donut before extending his arm to give her his bread. Instead of taking it from him, she leaned forward and took a bite of his bread from the hand it was offered in. His normally composed face changed into a state of disbelief, catching Amaya offguard. She paused mid-chew, feeling her cheeks warm as blood rushed there.

 _I'm in Japan…not California. He must think I'm an idiot._

"Sorry," she said after swallowing her bite of bread. Takashi's arm had slowly retracted from her. His face returned to its normal, passive state.

"Here," she said, offering her red bean paste donut toward him with both hands and bowing her head, waiting for him to take it.

He started to lift his hand, then thought better of it and instead took a bite like she had done, fed directly from her hands. She looked up at him with wide eyes, before a smile slowly spread on her face. They began to laugh.

Takashi felt so at ease with her by his side. They communicated well through silence, and even in the quiet moments he felt reassured by her presence.

They left the bakery and began to walk down the main street, window-shopping as they went.

As they passed a card shop, Amaya grabbed ahold of Takashi's hand to stop him. She was so excited that she missed his face begin to redden.

"Can we check this place out?" she asked. "I'd like to get some new stationery."

He followed her into the shop and she immediately darted to a section with thick manuscript paper and calligraphy pens. Takashi eyed her with interest, curious how a girl so smart could excel at so many different things. He meandered toward a shelf with small figurines, picking up a small samurai and studying the details in the painting. The particular figurine he had chosen was so detailed that he could see the clan crest in the armor: this one belonged to the Tokugawa family.

"Do you like those?"

Takashi turned to find Amaya behind him, clutching a box of thick, manuscript style stationery, a small paintbrush, and ink.

"The painting is exquisite," he responded. "You like calligraphy?"

Amaya looked at the items in her hands and smiled. "It was something my mother used to love. We would frame pictures and write cards on weekends and she would sell them in the shop she worked at in San Francisco. They always seemed to be popular. I thought that perhaps Tomiju might sell them at the new tea house."

"But do you like it?"

Amaya looked up at him, falling deeply into Takashi's searching grey eyes. She realized she had walked around his question.

"It makes me feel closer to her," she finally said. Art was not her strong suit, and although she could write beautifully, she never truly enjoyed those weekends of calligraphy. No, calligraphy was not what she had enjoyed. Spending time with her mother was.

"Your mother's memory is kept alive because you keep her alive. Not because what you do keeps her alive," he stated. "She lives through who you are. Not through what you do."

Amaya held his gaze while pondering his words. "And who am I, Takashi?"

"That's a question I can't answer for you," he murmured softly.

Amaya turned toward the register and went to pay, while Takashi turned back to the wall with the figurines, carefully placing the Tokugawa samurai back in its place. He continued to stare at it for a moment, drawn for some reason to the tiny piece.

"Are you ready?" Amaya asked.

He turned toward her, surprised that she wasn't carrying a bag with her purchases. "Did you forget your items?" he asked.

"No. They can stay here."

"Where to next," Amaya asked as they stepped out of the shop together.

"It's a surprise," Takashi responded, smiling down at her before checking his watch. "Follow me."

They continued their walk in silence, while Takashi led Amaya toward a bus station.

"I thought you and the rest of the club didn't take buses," she said as they stood and waited.

"I can call a car if you'd be more comfortable," Takashi told her.

"No, no, please. It will be interesting seeing you on public transport."

Amaya wondered if Takashi had ever taken a bus before. Even though he was acting stoic, she could see his eyes darting back and forth every so often. He looked nervous. The crowd around the bus stop continued to grow as they waited. Finally, a bus pulled up and they jostled their way on, finding only enough room to stand.

 _Where in the world are we going?_ she thought.

To steady himself, Takashi reached up high to grab onto one of the bars. As the bus pulled away from the station, the front tire hit the curb and Amaya lost her balance, falling forward onto Takashi's chest. He instinctively wrapped his arm around her to steady her. He frowned…riding the bus was worse than he had imagined. If there was an accident, there was very little he could do to protect Amaya. He should have just called a private car.

"Takashi? It's okay. You can let go of me now."

He looked down, meeting a flushed face staring up at him. He was holding onto her more tightly than he thought. He loosened his hold, but didn't let go of her completely.

"Really, I can stand on my own. Does the bus make you nervous?"

"It seems unsafe," he responded, not liking the fact that her eyes were glittering mischievously.

"I've ridden the bus hundreds of times, and never had a problem. Really, it's okay."

"Do you ride the bus to school?" he asked.

"Usually I bike and then take the train." She thought for a moment. "Takashi, have you ever ridden a bike?"

He looked down at her, surprised. "Of course not," he said. Why would someone who has drivers need a bike?

She stared at him, equally surprised. "You mean never, as a child, you never rode a bike?"

"Why would I need to?"

"Well, for fun?"

"Why would you ride a bike for fun?"

Amaya was stunned. _We come from two very different worlds._ "That's just what we all did as kids."

The bus lurched to a stop and Amaya was once again thrown into Takashi's chest.

"This is our stop," he said, looking out the window.

"That was relatively quick…" Amaya responded, also peering out the window. She could see buildings, but not much else.

As soon as she stepped off the bus, however, she could hear what she couldn't see.

"A waterfall?" she asked excitedly, searching Takashi's face for an answer even though she already knew by the sound. He smiled.

They walked along a short trail and rounded a corner. Amaya gasped. It wasn't just a waterfall. It was many, many falls that stretched over a wide area, cascading downward and creating a fine mist.

"Shiraito falls," Takashi stated, happy that Amaya was pleased.

She was at a loss for words. Standing next to Takashi gazing on the wonders of nature was an incredible treat. He was truly making this day special.

"Takashi…" she began, not quite knowing where her words were taking her. "I did not expect us to be friends. We probably shouldn't be."

He didn't answer her. She glanced toward him, but his eyes were fixated on the falls in front of them. Amaya felt like she had just opened a dangerous box that couldn't be closed, but she needed to let the contents out. Her recent thoughts of Honey and her lineage took over her mind, and she couldn't stand the doubts that Takashi had ulterior motives or secondary reasons for their friendship.

"Why are we friends?" she finally asked, trying to read some sort of emotion from his stoic face. "I'm serious," she added, "why do you want to be my friend?"

"Mitsukuni," he said, not taking his eyes from the falls. "I'm loyal to Mitsukuni."

Amaya dropped her eyes and turned back to the waterfall. She didn't know exactly what his answer meant, but it wasn't what she wanted to hear. She held her breath. They waited in silence that grew uncomfortable with each passing moment.

"Mitsukuni likes you," Takashi said, offering a poor attempt at elaborating.

"But do you like me?" Amaya blurted, trying to hold her voice steady amidst her emotion.

Takashi finally broke his gaze from the waterfall and looked at her.

"Yes," he said simply.

She smiled at him, but still wasn't sure how he felt and what he truly meant. She wondered if deep under his confident exterior, he was as confused as she was.

"I have something for you," she said after a pause. Takashi only raised his eyebrows in response. "You have to close your eyes and hold out your hands. It's a surprise."

"Is it another cheesecake?" he asked as his eyes closed.

"No, definitely not as tasty."

Amaya took out the Edo era dagger from her bag and placed it in his hands.

"Okay, you can look," she said.

Takashi opened his eyes, immediately surveying the object in his hands. It was a 19th century aikuchi dagger, far from mint condition. The scabbard was well worn, but when he pulled the knife from its protection he saw that the blade was in incredible condition for the knife's timeplace and origin. It was still sharp enough to cut with, and the handle was long enough that it fit in his hand comfortably. He loved it.

Amaya didn't have to look much further than his face to know that her gift was a success. He was engrossed in the knife, fully absorbed in analyzing every detail.

"Thank you," he finally said, knowing based on the age of the antique that she probably couldn't have afforded it. "Where did this come from?"

"It came from a swollen ankle and the Nakasendo Trail," she teased. She told him the story of her midnight intruder in Tsumago, and how she apprehended the thief.

"You could have been hurt," he responded immediately and with concern, sheathing the knife and looking between it and her.

"Takashi!" she exclaimed, "Why is it that every time I do something I'm proud of, you say that! I have the skills to take care of myself, more than most people. Yes, I could have been hurt, but that's a risk I took and I'm glad I took the risk."

"You have raw skill," Takashi corrected, seeing the need to explain his position. "You are talented, you are strong, and you work hard, but your true skill is still largely untapped."

"Okay, well where do I get higher level training from? Certainly I can't train with the Haninozuka's or at Ouran. Where should I go? Lobelia? Do you want me to transfer to Lobelia so I can get training?" She was angry and exasperated, taking his observations as suggestions.

"Amaya," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder to gain her full attention. "I am not suggesting you aren't good enough to do this on your own. But I also do not intend for you to keep training alone."

"What do you mean?"

"Will you let me help you?"

"Takashi…do you want to train me?" she asked, taken aback.

"I want to help you. I want to give you what I know."

"What about my father? What about Mitsukuni?"

He was silent for a moment. "Mitsukuni suggested it."

"Oh..." Amaya realized that Takashi's motives were still driven by Honey. He seemed to pick up on her thoughts and corrected himself.

"He didn't suggest I teach you. I insisted that I offer first."

She thought for a moment, finally realizing that Takashi cared about her in some small way. Even if he was motivated by Honey, there was still some part of him, she was sure, that was looking out for her. She was also beginning to find his protectiveness endearing...but only when it manifested in a way that didn't make her feel useless.

"Okay," she finally said. "I will take your help."

* * *

When Amaya and Takashi returned to the pension later that evening, the rest of the Host Club was eagerly awaiting their return. Takashi immediately walked over to Honey and pulled out the box he had been carrying the entire day.

"Strawberry cream puffs," he said. Honey's eyes lit up with joy and he scurried to the kitchen to get plates for sharing.

"Sooooo," began Tamaki, "What did you two do all day?"

"We sat on a park bench in silence, watching birds," Amaya responded casually before popping a cream puff into her mouth. She wasn't about to give the details of her day away.

"You do like bird watching, Takashi," Honey admitted, mouth full of puff.

Tamaki gawked at them. "That's…really…all you…did…?" he asked, incredulous.

Amaya turned to Takashi and winked at him.

She was sure they all wanted to know whether or not she and Takashi had been on a date.

Now, after the fact, she was inclined to think yes.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks all for favoriting, reading, following, and reviewing :)

Shoutouts to Mamabug, Cristi-anitaXD, JJofthehex, pessimisticiguana, TDI-Ryo-Eclares, and all the guests who reviewed. I'm super pumped to write about Takashi and Amaya training/fighting together, and I really hope to have another chapter out soon. I'm not writing as fast as I would like to, but I do have full intentions to finish this story so please bear with me. You are all so wonderful, and a really great audience to be writing for!


	12. It's In The Tea Leaves

"So…was it a date?"

Amaya was in the kitchen helping Haruhi wash dishes after breakfast when the younger girl asked her about her afternoon with Takashi.

"Was your outing with Hikaru a date?" Amaya countered, still unwilling to part with her knowledge.

"Well, no, but yes," Haruhi said, arms elbow deep in warm, soapy water. She handed a clean dish to Amaya to rinse and dry.

"Care to elaborate on that paradoxical answer?" Amaya smiled.

"I don't consider it a date," she said, "but certainly the rest of the club does."

"And I'm sure you wouldn't be asking me if I went on a date if it weren't for the rest of them, either," Amaya responded.

Haruhi sighed. "Sometimes I wonder what really goes on in their heads."

"Yes…sometimes they're on completely different wavelengths than the rest of the human population…"

"Do you really have to leave today?" Haruhi asked. "It's nice having someone around who isn't in the clouds all the time."

They both glanced at each other, then out the window. Misuzu and most of the boys were in the backyard in yet another competition of sorts, and while the goal seemed rather simple, every single one of them was taking a roundabout way of doing something practical.

"You hang out with them more than I do," Amaya mused. "That's impressive. And yes, I have some errands to do before I get back to helping Tomiju in renovating the tea house. You should all come by at the end of the summer."

"I'd like that," she replied.

"When do you think the boys will leave?"

"If I'm lucky, the same time you do, but in reality they'll probably be here all summer." Haruhi scrubbed the dishes furiously at the thought.

That afternoon, Amaya boarded the train after saying goodbye to the host club on the platform. They had insisted that they come to the station to see her off especially after she refused their offers of a private car.

As the train rounded a bend and the platform disappeared from her sight, she settled into her seat and pulled out her earphones. She was happy to finally be alone and able to process her thoughts.

 _Takashi is going to train me,_ she thought. _What will that entail?_ She was excited and nervous all at once…excited to further spend time with Takashi, and nervous that she would disappoint him or embarrass herself in their training together. So many feelings were swirling inside of her, mostly at the thought of herself and Takashi together. Especially at the thought of herself and Takashi together, _alone._

They had gone on a date. They were training together. They were friends. He cared for her in some way apart from Honey, and apart from the Haninozuka family. _Would there even be a chance for us?_ she thought wildly.

These thoughts were dangerous. Now, past the barrier of even wondering if he liked her, her fondness for him was beginning to reveal itself in full force. She began thinking of the logistics of a relationship, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that it was impossible. All the hopes that began to take flight over her trip dropped like petals from a dying flower.

 _Damn him. Damn these rich boys, and damn the host club!_

For her own sake, she needed to retain her distance. If only it could be that easy! She and Takashi were magnetic, pulled together over and over again by a mysterious force, and while she hoped he felt it, too, a part of her didn't want him to feel it unless their feelings could be acted upon. She turned up her music to drown out her thoughts and dozed off for the rest of the train ride.

Amaya called a cab as soon as she was in Tokyo. She had one thing she needed to take care of before she met Tomiju to pick out new wall hangings for the tea house. She gave the cabbie an address and settled into the back, once again fighting with the knots that were growing in her stomach. She knew that what she was about to do wouldn't be pleasant, but she needed to do it.

The car pulled up to the Morinozuka household. Looking at the front doors, Amaya almost stepped back into the cab to head back home.

She knocked; secretly pleased that there were no guards at gates asking her what business she had at the Morinozuka residence. The door opened.

"Amaya-senpai!" Satoshi exclaimed. "Welcome. If you're looking for Takashi, I'm afraid he's gone this summer to Karuizawa for vacation with Mitsukuni."

"I know," she replied quietly. "I'm actually here to see your father, if he's in."

Satoshi looked at her curiously, but he opened the door wider to invite her inside. "He's currently in a meeting with Yorihisa-San, but he should be back within a half hour. Would you like to wait here for him?"

She had a moment to escape, but decided against it. "Please, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. I'll make some tea. You can hang out in dojo if you want. There are also some books in the living room."

"Actually, do you happen to have a copy of the Tales of Genji?" she asked, as she had left the book halfway through a chapter back at the pension.

"I think so…the copy is probably in Takashi's room though. Follow me!"

All thoughts of tea left behind, Amaya and Satoshi walked down an unfamiliar hallway to Takashi's bedroom. Satoshi slid the door open, revealing an immaculate room. The only mess was on his desk, where a tiny figurine was being constructed from minuscule components. Satoshi led her to a massive bookshelf. Half of it was filled with books, including Ouran required reading, textbooks, and history books, but also with books about religion, Buddhism, meditation, and of course, martial arts. Amaya brushed her fingers over a well-worn copy of "The Art of War."

The other half of the bookshelf was filled with small figurines and trinkets of all sorts, many of which she assumed he assembled himself.

"Wow," she stated.

"Takashi likes small things," Satoshi said while looking for the book. "Mom used to make them with him, and he's continued making and collecting these figures since she…" he trailed off. "Since she died," he finally said, softly. "Well, here's the book!"

He pulled the tome off of the shelf and handed it to her. Amaya had never heard anything about Takashi and Satoshi's mother, but she didn't feel that the atmosphere allowed for her to breach the subject.

"Thanks," she said.

"Father should be in fairly soon. You can read in the living room while you wait, if you'd like."

"Please."

Satoshi led her to a spacious yet minimalist room and left her there. She fingered the spine of the book in her hands before setting it on a table. Instead of reading, she began to pace around the room, deep in her own thoughts, and still nervous. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she almost missed the sound of the door sliding open.

"Matsura-san," spoke a deep voice. "It is an unexpected surprise."

"Morinozuka-sama," she replied, bowing toward Akira. "I apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused."

"You have caused no inconvenience. Please, have a seat. For what reason do you have to visit?"

Amaya wasted no time in responding.

"I am indebted to you, sir, and I would like to repay my debt."

There was a slight pause.

"Would you care to explain?" Akira finally asked.

"It came to my knowledge that your family covered the expenses of my surgery after the karate tournament. Please, let me repay you in full. I cannot pay the amount right now, but I would like to work towards paying off the debt. With interest, if necessary." She didn't know how much she owed, but for her own conscience she offered herself to indentured servitude.

They sat in silence while he pondered her words. Amaya wondered if Takashi's silence was a trait that ran in the family.

"Will you take a brief walk with me?" Akira asked, suddenly. Amaya nodded in response and stood up, following him through the house and outside.

Immediately a small chicken hopped up to Amaya and began looking for food around her feet. It looked up at her and cocked its head slightly.

"It looks like Piyo-chan is fond of you," said Akira with a smirk.

Amaya reached down toward the bird and it hopped into her hand. "Piyo-chan…" she said softly, petting the bird's feathers.

"Takashi's pet," Akira elaborated. "Every now and again he brings home a stray animal and tames it. They seem to take to him easily."

Amaya set Piyo-chan on her shoulder and continued following Akira. They entered a large garden, where Akira bent down to examine the vegetables that were growing.

"I will not take any payment from you," he finally said. "Paying for your surgery was a small thing. Consider it a gift if you must."

"Please," Amaya pleaded, "I cannot take this as a gift. Being indebted to your family is not an option. I apologize if I am being rude, but I can't see a way that this would be acceptable to the Haninozuka family."

Akira sighed and plucked a bunch of leaves from a bush, crushing them in his hands and breathing in deeply. "The sencha is maturing early, it seems." She frowned, unsure if his words had a double meaning.

"Although our family and the Haninozuka family have a strong history, we are not bound to them as our ancestors were. Yorihisa is like my brother, but I also protect my own family. What you have done for Takashi is worth more to me than you can imagine."

Amaya was stunned. What was Akira saying?

He plucked some more leaves from a second bush and handed them to her. "Smell," he commanded.

Amaya rubbed the leaves between her hands and inhaled. The green tea leaves were perfectly matched between sweet and bitter. It was earthy, warm, and inviting.

By this time, Akira had bunches of the plant, including both leaves and twigs, in his hands. He walked to an open area and put the plant parts on a large tray. A second tray had leaves, twigs, and what looked like chrysanthemum blossoms, but these were fully dried. He took a scoop full of the dried plants and tossed them in a large cast iron pan hung over a fire pit.

"Please, if you would, get a few logs as I start the fire."

The commands were simple enough, but Amaya was beginning to wonder if she should have left this door unopened. Akira was almost as imperceptible as Takashi. She walked toward the wood pile and was struck with a smell so familiar that she glanced around in fear, looking for Takashi, afraid that he had returned early from Karuizawa to find her speaking with his father. As soon as she realized the error of her thoughts, she began to laugh to herself.

 _Cedar…green tea and cedar…_

She grabbed a couple of the cedar planks and returned to a small blaze in the pit. Akira tossed them in and soon had the fire licking the edges of the pan. He was roasting the tea leaves.

"Takashi has always been introspective, but he withdrew much further after his mother, my dear wife, passed away.

"Satoshi was young, he doesn't remember much, but Kei and Takashi were inseparable. He was as devoted to her as he is to Mitsukuni, and she in return loved him more than you could possibly imagine. Takashi was her life. Takashi was a different child when she was with him. You could see happiness radiating from his face, and he smiled more with her than he did with anyone else.

"She passed when he was ten. To everyone else, he was the same Takashi, but only those who knew him closely could tell the differences. He became more protective of those he loved. He grew quieter at home, he didn't smile as much. He was hurting, and he has been hurting for a long time."

"I'm so sorry," Amaya murmured before silence overtook the conversation once more. She hadn't expected to learn about Takashi's childhood, but knowing that his mother's loss hurt as much as her own made her feel more connected to him.

"He began to change when he met you."

"What?" Amaya looked up, confused. She was having a hard time comprehending what Akira was saying.

"Your friendship with him reopened a part of him that I thought was lost when Kei died. It's subtle, but something in him has changed and the only thing I can attribute it to is you. I don't even know if he has realized the change himself, but a part Kei's spirit has returned. I see her returning to him."

Akira pulled the toasted tea leaves off of the fire to let them cool. The aroma was fantastic. The leaves cooled and he placed them into a soft cloth bag.

"So you see, there is no debt," he said, referring to the hospital bills. "You have helped my family more than you know. You have returned my son to me, and you have returned Kei to me as well. I only hope that you someday you can find that sanctuary in your own family."

He gave the bag of toasted leaves to her.

"This is Kei's blend. If she were alive, I believe you two would get along well."

"Thank you…" Amaya responded. She was at a complete loss for words.

Amaya was still overwhelmed with Akira's information when she returned to Tomiju and the teahouse, but she dealt with it by throwing herself into work. The next couple of weeks were filled with shopping, painting, decorating, and arranging the teahouse. The final product was incredible. Upon entering the building, a small, open room to the left encompassed the tea shop where a variety of Japanese, Chinese, and English teas were for sale, along with tea paraphernalia. The main area of the teahouse was set up for the modern tea drinker, with chairs and tables set up comfortably around a bar area for tea preparation, which had a door to the kitchen. From there, a door to the right exited into a garden area with winding paths, a small stream, and many native plants. The path led to another entrance, this one a room on the other side of the kitchen. This room transported one back in time, where traditional tea ceremonies could be held.

They opened their doors during the last week of summer break to wide success. The sudden increase in customers at the establishment during the first week allowed for Tomiju's true talent as a business manager to shine. Amaya's tea ceremonies were booked throughout the week, and many of the customers left raving reviews.

"You are a gem," Tomiju told Amaya while they were cleaning one Sunday afternoon, "just like your mother."

"Tomiju," Amaya asked cautiously, "can you tell me more about the scandal with my mother?"

The older woman chuckled. "You choose now to ask about this? What a scandal. Her, a beautiful young thing. Him, a married man! But they were both lost, and sometimes when you are lost you find yourself in the unlikeliest of places."

"Do you know why he fell for her?"

"No. He had just married his childhood sweetheart, taken over the family business, and was apparently very successful and stable. That's part of what makes the scandal so…scandalous!"

"But it was covered up well?"

"Yes. Just a rumor. But I knew the truth. There was no hiding that your mother was pregnant in the months following."

"Oh."

Tomiju took Amaya's hand in her own.

"Without it, you wouldn't be here," she said, "and without you, my life would have much less joy."

Amaya smiled at the woman and felt her eyes watering. In the past few seasons, Tomiju had become dear to her heart.

Before she could respond, they heard bells jingling as the door to the teahouse entrance opened.

"Amaya-chan!" rang a familiar voice. She heard chatter. The club had arrived.

"Honey!" she said in response, smiling warmly at her friend. Close behind was Takashi. He looked nonchalant with his hands in his pockets, but his lips turned up into a smile in greeting. Her stomach fluttered.

"Welcome to the teahouse, everyone!" she cried. She turned and smiled at Tomiju, who winked at her before going back into the kitchen.

"Wow!" said Haruhi, "You did a great job on this place. It's so relaxing."

"You should check out the garden. I'll get some hot water brewing."

"Not bad, for a commoner's teahouse," mused Hikaru, "although it could have used a designer's touch."

"Some crystal chandeliers and mahogany tables would have suited this place well," followed Kaoru. Amaya just shook her head. The children of a fabulously wealthy designer could have done much better, but she highly doubted that they would have done well on the budget that she and Tomiju had.

"Well I think it's lovely!"

"Thank you, Tamaki," Amaya returned.

"It's just the right level of quality that I would expect of a commoner's establishment."

Amaya rolled her eyes.

The boys wandered outside to check out the garden while Amaya filled a teapot with water.

"I like it."

Takashi had remained behind and was surveying the details of the building. Only he would notice such things.

"Me too," Amaya responded. She put the teapot on the stove and wandered toward him. He was looking at some art on the walls.

"My mom's calligraphy," Amaya explained. They had framed some pieces and hung them on the walls near a set of tables. It matched the ambiance perfectly.

Side by side, they stared at the pictures in silence. Amaya's arm brushed up against Takashi's, but he didn't move away from her touch. Her heart started racing. She wondered if he noticed. After a few moments, she glanced toward him, embarrassed to find that he was already watching her. Her face reddened deeply and she stepped a little bit away from him, smiling nervously.

"Are you ready for school to start tomorrow?" she asked, trying to find a subject that would distract her from her racing heart. It was too late though, he had already noticed.

"Amaya," he said softly, stepping toward her to close the distance. "Why are you nervous?" He was genuinely concerned, but didn't seem to have any idea that he was the source of her nervousness.

"I, uh…" she began. The teapot began to whistle. "I should go get that," she said quickly, and disappeared behind the corner.

Amaya pulled the teapot off of the stove and took a moment to collect herself. Why was she so nervous around him right now? Given, they hadn't talked since she left Karuizawa, but it wasn't like their friendship had changed in any way. Still, she didn't know how to close the distance that had formed while they were apart, and that, along with the fact that she was finally acknowledging her crush on him, made this particular moment incredibly difficult to navigate.

When she rounded the corner to find Takashi again, she saw him holding a particular bag of tea. Her eyes widened.

"Where did you get this?" he asked. It was the tea that his father had given her, Kei's blend. She had left the bag out on one of the tables accidentally. There was no use in lying.

"Your father gave it to me," she said softly.

She half expected him to ask her when she encountered his father, let alone why he had given her tea, but after a moment's silence he just met her eyes and simply said, "Let me make you a cup."

Amaya looked up at him and slowly broke into a smile. Her nervousness vanished. "I'd really enjoy that," she said.

As he prepared the tea, she stepped into the garden with cups of oolong tea to give to the rest of the club.

"What happened?" she asked, coming across Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru fighting with each other. Haruhi answered her.

"They started talking about graduation, and what would happen to you, Honey, and Mori when that time comes. They think that Mori-senpai is going to be a historian, while Honey-senpai will master all forms of martial arts before becoming a businessman."

"What about me?" Amaya asked.

"That's what they're arguing about. Hikaru and Kaoru think you're going to be stuck here for the rest of your life, in the teahouse, but Tamaki said that you'd be a movie star."

"Where in the world did movie star come from?"

"I think because you're from California."

"Did he never take geography? San Francisco and Hollywood are not close to each other..."

"Well, he also said that Honey-senpai would be an astronaut when he retires so who knows where these ideas come from."

"I can see why Kyoya isn't participating in this conversation..." Amaya trailed off.

They glanced toward Honey, who was in conversation with Kyoya, apparently oblivious that the other boys were arguing about his future. He held Usa-chan tightly to his chest. They watched the commotion for a few minutes longer, until Takashi stepped outside and placed a steaming cup of tea into Amaya's hands.

"Takashi, Honey," she began, addressing the two, "what are your plans post-graduation?" As expected, her words had an immediate effect on the boys who were fighting. They stopped mid-sentence and looked over toward them.

"University," Takashi replied simply.

"Well of course," said Haruhi, "but what do you want to study?"

"Can you study cake?" asked Honey sweetly. Tamaki puffed out his chest in a moment of triumph, the baker idea still apparently strong in his mind.

"Well, cooking school is a thing…" returned Haruhi.

"Cooks hardly make any money," Kyoya said. "It's difficult work, long hours, and lots of criticism."

"What about you Amaya-chan? What do you want to study?" Honey asked.

"I'm really not sure," she replied, sipping her tea. It tasted smooth, balanced in bitterness and sweetness, with a slight roasted flavor on the finish. She savored the tea and thought about the future. In reality, she hadn't really thought too much about what she was going to do post-Ouran. "Perhaps science, maybe chemistry, or history. Takashi, what do you want to study?" She was genuinely curious.

"Law."

"Really? Law? Your favorite subject is Japanese history though. Why law?" Haruhi asked.

Honey answered for him. "It runs in the family," he said simply.

"Haruhi, wasn't your mother a lawyer?" Kyoya asked.

"Yes," she said. Takashi's eyes shifted toward Haruhi, dwelling on her for a moment. Amaya noticed, and wondered if Takashi's mother had been a lawyer, too.

"Amaya, are you ready for the surprise?"

Amaya turned around, finding Tomiju poking her head out of the main room of the teahouse.

"There's a surprise?" Honey asked, tugging on the hem of her shirt.

"One that has been a long time coming," Amaya responded as she set down her cup and walked back toward the kitchen. Moments later, she returned carrying a beautifully prepared cheesecake. It was the same kind she had tried to make for Takashi's birthday, but that everyone failed to get to eat.

"Cake?" Honey's eyes opened wide at the sight of the tall New York cheesecake.

"Cake," Amaya confirmed. "Third time is a charm!"

Tomiju brought out plates and forks while Amaya sliced the cake. "Please, enjoy!" she said. "Here's to the end of a wonderful summer and the start of a new school year."

As everyone else took their first bites, Amaya picked up her cup of tea and sipped on the flavor. Her eyes once again moved toward Takashi. He was staring into his cup as well. He looked up at her and their gazes met, both silently acknowledging that they were grateful for the other one's presence. Amaya took another sip of her tea without breaking eye contact, and she savored the moment in her heart.

* * *

 **A/N:** Merry Christmas everyone! Here's another chapter for you...and thank you for being so patient with me. Honestly school has been incredibly busy this year, which makes it hard to find time to write, let alone time to dream about the Ouran boys. Thanks for the reviews, and special shoutouts to Sheriffgirl and CassandraaCaitlinn. Thanks so much for favoriting and following. I really do appreciate the comments, and I genuinely hope that the long periods in between chapters aren't making the growing relationships between the characters suffer too much. I'm doing my best to connect things together. There will be some more excitement in the next couple of chapters, and some fights coming up soon, so please stay tuned for that!


	13. New Scars

"I don't think I can take this anymore," Amaya said through gritted teeth. Her legs were burning, her arms were shaking, and she was sweating from holding her position for so long.

"You can. Don't say 'don't'," Takashi told her, looking at the clock on the wall. "One more minute."

Amaya had been holding a reverse bow stance with a staff poised in her hands above her head for almost thirty minutes. Her thighs were on fire, but she counted slowly in her head, trying to distract herself from the pain for the sixty seconds that were left.

Training with Takashi was brutal. The simplest exercises that he had her do made her ache everywhere, but she knew it was good for her. The first time they had done this particular exercise, she could barely hold the stance for ten minutes. Takashi could hold it for hours, and while she was determined to push herself, she hadn't yet made it past the thirty-minute mark.

 _Forty-five seconds_ , she thought to herself, losing track of the number she had counted to and starting instead to count down.

"Keep your knees bent!" Takashi said. Amaya lowered closer to the ground, unaware that she had been slowly rising up, unconsciously trying to ease the burning in her quadriceps.

 _Twenty seconds_ , she thought, gritting her teeth.

"Ugh!"

 _Ten seconds_. _I'm strong. I will be stronger. This is making me stronger_ , she said to herself, finding a mantra to think through the pain.

"Five, four, three…" Takashi said, counting down for her, "Two, one. Good."

Amaya dropped the staff and fell to the ground, stretching her legs out lest they begin to cramp. Takashi tossed her a bottle of water, which she gulped down.

"Next time, thirty-five minutes," he said.

"Awesome," Amaya breathed.

"Before you leave today make sure you stretch everything," he said, grabbing his kendo bag and walking towards the door, about to head to his own practice session. He was halfway through before turning his head and saying, "Good work today. On Monday we do speed drills and sparring practice."

Amaya smiled to herself and leaned back to stretch on the wooden floors of the dojo. These workouts were relentless, but she could tell she was already stronger than she had been at the beginning of the term. Takashi's lessons weren't easy, but he was a good teacher, giving her feedback when she needed it and pushing her to go further than she ever thought she could go. Already she was beginning to improve in her sparring against him, actually making him break a sweat when they fought.

Takashi could easily and quickly pick out her weaknesses and design exercises to strengthen or train them. He also knew just how far she could push her body without injury, and taught her new or modified techniques while helping her perfect the ones she already knew. In fact, in their most recent sessions he began to describe the unique Haninozuka style of karate, which he told her would require a much higher level of strength and skill in weapons than she already had in order to master. She had begun to weight train on her own in the gym during mornings before class, building lean and toned muscle, while their training sessions in the afternoon built speed, agility, flexibility, and stamina.

Amaya didn't know why she had been nervous about training with Takashi. Karate came first and foremost in the dojo, and not once had their attraction for each other gotten in the way of the art. For that, she was thankful.

 _Train with focus and the empty mind of the master student,_ she thought to herself.

After she stretched, she left the dojo before the karate club started their session and went to shower in the girls' locker room. Their class was meeting that afternoon to discuss last minute details for their event for the Ouran Cultural Festival. Her class's theme was Venice Carnival and the planning was extravagant, although she wasn't sure what she should have expected given the pedigree of the school.

She entered the classroom and took her seat in the back of the room. Takashi was still at Kendo practice and Honey was with the Host Club finalizing their event. They had been in competition throughout the past week with the Football Club to gain access to the Central Salon, which would be at the very center of the entire festival. Of course, they had won the rights to the space. Amaya couldn't wait to see what sort of event they came up with. She was sure it would be just as extravagant as the one her class was putting on in the West Gym.

"Matsura!" called a voice from the front of the classroom. "Are all the entertainers ready to go?"

"Affirmative," she said. She and Seika Ayanokoji had been in charge of choosing the entertainment that would occur throughout the day at their event. They did not make a good team, but somehow they managed to finish the task with two aerial silks acrobats, a fire performer, three living statues, a contortionist, and a couple of jesters. Ayanokoji had made Amaya's life incredibly difficult. If she had to hear the words "You don't know what you're looking for because you've never attended Carnival, let alone Venice" one more time, she was sure her head would explode. Technically though, Ayanokoji had a point. Amaya was the only person in their class who had never been to Venice. However, the internet was also a thing, and Amaya had done enough reading to know what sort of entertainment Carnival offered.

"Matsura," the president called again. "Do you know if Haninozuka and Morinozuka have the the cakes ready to go?"

"Frittelle, galani, castangole, tiramisu...they have everything. Trust me."

"Good!"

As the president kept talking, Amaya began to zone out because she was exhausted from her training session. She had a tea ceremony to perform that evening and then she had to be up early the next day to set up the dessert stands around the West Gym.

She looked out the window, watching leaves rustle with the first breezes of fall. This year, their class was heavily focused on college applications. Many of the students were going to attend Ouran University, but about half of their class was applying to schools like Harvard, Stanford, and Cambridge. Her class would soon scatter across the globe, achieve high ranking degrees, and either build or ruin their family fortunes. Amaya wasn't sure what she was going to do amidst her classmates' accomplishments.

She found herself daydreaming about Takashi, Honey, and their futures, coming up with possible ways that they could intertwine.

The next morning, Amaya arrived at the West Gym to find Honey already decked out in his Carnival costume.

"Amaya-chan," Honey began, "You look a little tired." He was spot on in his assessment.

"I'm exhausted, Honey," she said. "Training is taking a lot out of me. Takashi isn't an easy teacher."

"But you're sticking with it anyway. Is that because you like the training or because you like the teacher?"

It took Amaya a few seconds to fully register what Honey had just asked. Normally, he didn't ask such bold questions, but Takashi wasn't yet in the gym and he was normally there during their conversations.

She sighed. "You're very perceptive," she said quietly. "I like the challenge, and I really like the teacher."

"I knew that you liked Takashi at the Christmas Eve dance last year."

"What? No..." she said, genuinely surprised that he had known for so long.

"Amaya-chan," he said, speaking to her in her naivete, "I know him too well. There's a certain way that girls look at him sometimes, and you just know. But, this is the first time I've seen him look at a girl the same way." Honey smiled at her and winked.

Takashi rounded a corner with a tray full of cakes and joined them.

"Are you ready for the first shift?" he asked, glancing from Honey to Amaya.

"I suppose," Amaya said, taking plates of cake from his tray and setting them on a push cart.

Throughout the morning they sold cakes and sweets to the people that came by. Honey was a master salesman, utilizing the fact that he was adorable to get people to shell out cash.

By lunchtime, their shift was over, but Honey and Takashi wanted to take some of the goodies to Host Club members. Amaya, however, was even more exhausted from sales pitching all morning.

"I'll catch up to you two," she said.

Honey looked at the clock tower. "Meet us in the dojo in thirty minutes!" he said.

"Will do," she called back. First, she wanted to get out of the ridiculous costume and find some food.

After donning a simple plum-colored dress, she wandered to the Class 2-A event. When she walked in, she smiled as she was greeted with Japanese street food. Tamaki was working one of the stations.

"Was this your idea?" she asked.

"We decided to explore the food of the commoner!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Have an octopus ball!"

"Between you and me, it smells very authentic," she said, winking at him.

"Do you think Haruhi will like it?" he asked.

"Well, to be honest, I don't know if she'll be all that surprised. You have been quite invested in the culture of commoners lately. But," she added, "I think she'll like it."

Amaya purchased some yakisoba and ate while she meandered toward the dojo. As she went, she was shocked by how many famous people were in attendance at the Cultural Fair. She had no idea that the event was so well-known among the A-listers, let alone that she attended school with their children.

She reached the dojo and removed her shoes before stepping inside. A small hand grabbed her own and pulled her quickly away from the entrance.

"Hurry! We need to get good seats!" Honey said.

"Why? What's going on?"

"It's the kendo event," he replied. "Takashi told me to make sure you were here. He said that you'd really enjoy it."

He was right.

Takashi, Satoshi, and other members of the kendo club stepped out in samurai armor from various periods throughout Japan's history. As far as she could tell, the outfits were one hundred percent genuine, and she was sure that Takashi had fussed over the very last details. Two younger members began to set up tall rolls of bamboo matting, and the senior members performed a variety of katana cuts on the bamboo, no member missing a cut. The swords were incredibly sharp, but each person had complete control over their blade.

The performance moved into examples of historical fighting styles, which appeared to be choreographed between two people. Satoshi and another student performed a beautiful yet deadly spear fight, twirling their spears in ways that even she couldn't comprehend. Two more students fought brilliantly with only daggers. For the final performance, Takashi and a second senior member stepped up for a full longsword battle.

Each person bowed to the other before stepping immediately into their first stances. As the swords met each other, a loud clang rang out in the room. They circled each other slowly before moving in more intricate patterns, blade meeting blade in continuous clangs that jarred the room. Every single person knew how sharp the swords were, and yet steel did not touch flesh. The fighting grew faster and faster until all became a blur of sound and color. Finally, both of them struck their final blows, crying out as the did so.

Amaya heard a sick crunch before she saw the final scene in front of her. Takashi's blade was poised perfectly for a final kill shot, stopping short of delivering. The other student's blade had not been so lucky. He had pulled the strike, but not before his sword had lodged in a chink in Takashi's armor just below his shoulder. Although the cut was not deadly, blood began to soak through the fabric beneath the metal plates.

"Takashi," she whispered urgently, beginning to stand up. Honey grabbed her arm, stopping her. She turned and looked at him, but his eyes were grave, silently telling her to stay seated. He turned his head, nodding it across the room, telling her to look. She followed the direction and saw Yorihisa. His eyes were on them, sullen, rather than on the scene that the rest of the room was watching.

All was silent. The blade was pulled from Takashi's arm, blood dripping from the steel, before the two saluted each other once again and ended the fight. Finally, applause.

"Come with me," Honey said, pulling her once again by the hand. The exited through the back of the dojo and circled around to find Takashi seated and removing his armor, speaking with his opponent.

"Morinozuka-sama, I'm so sorry. I wasn't able to stop my sword in time. Is the cut deep?"

"There was an open place in my armor," Takashi replied. "You could not have aimed for a better place to strike. We'll focus on control during next week's practice." He was gentle with his words, knowing that his peer already felt enough guilt for what had just happened.

Amaya turned around and ran back to the dojo bathroom, filling a basin with warm water and grabbing the first aid kit. When she returned to where Takashi was, she found him smiling at his brother and Honey, reassuring them that he felt okay. Satoshi helped him remove his shirt, peeling the bloodstained part back from his arm. Amaya winced. The cut was definitely deep. It probably needed stitches.

She knelt by him with the basin. "Lift your arm," she said, helping him move the wound above heart level. She took a washcloth and wrung it out in the basin before dabbing away the blood that stained his arm and cleaning the wound.

"Amaya," he said softly.

"Don't talk to me right now," she said. Focusing on cleaning the wound helped her forget that he had suffered an injury. It could have been a lot worse.

When the area around the cut was clean, she took a dry bandage and applied it with a gentle pressure to the cut, trying to staunch the bleeding.

"It's not bad," he said. "I've had worse."

She looked at him, glaring into his eyes. "It's not bad?" she repeated, "That _could_ have been a lot worse. Do you normally spar like that?" she asked accusatorially. She was angry. "I know that wasn't choreographed. You were poised for a killing blow at the end. No armor could protect against that. What if you miscalculated? What if he had stepped a different way? What if he had aimed for a shot like that and cut a major artery on you?" By this time her eyes were brimming with tears, but she fought them back. She wrapped the bandage around his arm perhaps a little too tightly.

Honey and Satoshi were still standing there silently. They glanced at each other, but the subtlety did not escape Amaya's notice.

"What about you two?," she said angrily. "Do you think that this is okay?!"

"Onii-chan has done this for a while," Satoshi said. "I've given him injuries way bigger than that and he's always lived through them."

"Me too," agreed Honey. "Like this one time when we were kids, I knocked Takashi out of a tree and he landed with his calf on a sharp stump. He needed ten stitches for that one."

Takashi nodded silently, pulling up the edge of his pants to show her the scar.

"And the first time I was allowed to touch a katana," Satoshi chimed in, "I accidentally cut the tip of his finger off. He had to get that sewn back on."

Takashi held up the pinky finger of his left hand, the scar clearly visible.

"Just look at his chest, Amaya-chan," Honey said. "He's got scars everywhere. And that's not including what we've probably done to his intestines. Remember the time you ate all those mud balls?"

The three boys began to laugh at the memory.

Amaya didn't laugh, but she did, for the first time, notice that Takashi had mementos from many accidents across his strong and muscular chest. She sank to the ground, worry and anxiety about Takashi's well being turning into worry and anxiety about whether Takashi was going to make it past his twentieth birthday.

"Just be careful," she said, exasperated.

Amaya replayed a particular moment during the end of the fight over again in her mind.

"Honey, why did you draw my attention to the fact that Yorihisa-sama was watching us?" she asked, knowing what the answer meant.

The three boys suddenly looked at each other in silence.

"How long have you known?" she asked him.

"I suspected it, but it was confirmed for all of us at the karate tournament."

"All of us meaning...?"

"Everyone in both the Haninozuka and Morinozuka households," Satoshi said.

"I'm not supposed to be around you," Amaya said. "He made that abundantly clear." She looked at Honey. His eyes had hardened.

"It's our choice, too," he said fiercely.

"Honey," she said, glancing to Satoshi and finally to Takashi, "what are the repercussions of that choice?"

Takashi answered her. "It's a difficult situation. Neither Mitsukuni nor I will be heads of our households for a while. Although it's unlikely, Yorihisa can still choose to pass Mitsukuni's birthright on to Yasuchika."

"So Yasuchika doesn't recognize me, either?" she asked.

"He's...confused," said Satoshi. He didn't elaborate.

"And what about the Morinozuka family?"

"Father is willing to let us make our own decisions," said Satoshi, "but even though he's the head of the Morinozuka house, Yorihisa-sama still has heavy sway over other members. They could easily push father into a decision that he doesn't agree with."

"Not easily," Takashi corrected.

"Well, he's certainly being pushed to change his mind about your ma-" Satoshi began, but he was quickly cut cut off by a sharp look from Takashi. "Never mind," he said.

"It's all very political," said Honey, "but what matters right now is that all of us are together. Amaya, you know what will make you feel better about Takashi's arm?"

"What?"

"Cake," he said, winking.

Takashi stood up from his chair and offered his hand to Amaya, who was still sitting on the ground. She took it and he pulled her up and into a massive hug.

"Thank you for worrying about me," he whispered into her ear.

She sighed heavily. "I have to return the favor somehow," she said, hugging him tightly in return.

"Hurry up you two, or Kyoya is going to be mad at us for being late!"

* * *

Amaya entered the Central Salon alone, as Takashi and Honey had 'carriage duty'.

Around the room various stations were set up with games such as chess and backgammon, but mostly the event was social in nature, a place for those of high society to meet, gossip, and boast about the accomplishments of their children. It was a conversation Amaya wanted no part of, so instead, she meandered over to the refreshments table and retrieved a goblet of water. She ran into Haruhi on her way there.

"There are so many wealthy and famous people here," Amaya whispered to her.

"I know," she responded. "It's crazy how much money there is at this school."

"How's the class 1-A event?"

"Fine. I met Hikaru and Kaoru's parents. They take after their mother, that's for sure."

"She's the designer, right? I should thank her for letting me keep that dress from last year..."

"Please, Mesdames, if you would I will escort you to the carriage."

Both girls turned to see Tamaki speaking with two girls and their mothers. He was heavily putting on the charm and they were eating it up.

"I'm supposed to help with that," said Haruhi glumly, beginning to walk away. "I hope you get to enjoy yourself."

Amaya looked out of the window to see Honey and Takashi driving the carriages, while the twins were entertaining women in the back. She was sure they would be busy for a while.

She sipped on her water and began to people watch, which was incredibly entertaining given the people in attendance. She found it interesting to see what families conversed with each other, and which people tended to avoid others.

Her father and Akira Morinozuka glided into the room. She shrunk back to the wall, attempting to hide herself behind a pillar as she watched them.

Yorihisa was immediately caught by Reiko Kanazuki, who curtsied to him and smiled. She was accompanied by her parents, who immediately struck up a light-hearted conversation, based on how Yorihisa was laughing. Reiko had recently been coming to the Host Club for Honey, but Amaya had no idea that the Kanazuki and Haninozuka families knew each other well.

After the short exchange, Yorihisa and Akira joined an ongoing conversation with Yoshio Ootori, Yuzuru Suoh and Yuzuha Hitachiin. Amaya watched in curiosity as the parents of the Host Club members conversed. She was genuinely surprised that her father looked so easy going. He was laughing continually at the jokes that Yuzuha Hitachiin and Yuzuru Suoh were making. She snuck closer to the conversation, hiding herself behind another pillar.

"I still have a hard time believing that young Tamaki is the mastermind behind all of this," Yuzuha said. "The twins talk constantly about this club and their new member, Haruhi Fujioka."

"Fujioka is a fantastic student, and I think she's quite a good influence on the rest of the boys," Yuzuru responded. "But we all know that Kyoya is the brains behind the entire operation."

"They seem like quite the ragtag bunch of kids, from all different backgrounds," Yuzuha continued. "How did Takashi and Mitsukuni get involved?"

"I think Mitsukuni joined because this club gave him some freedom to be himself. Mitsukuni followed his heart. Takashi, of course, followed Mitsukuni," Akira said, smiling.

"Also following his heart," Yorihisa piped in. The two men shared a knowing look.

"What will happen when they graduate this spring?" Yuzuru asked. "Will they stick together at University?"

"Takashi wants to study law, as his late mother did," Akira said.

"Mitsukuni is planning on engineering," Yorihisa continued.

"And I'm sure they'll be ready to have families soon after that," Yoshio commented. "Any prospects for the boys?"

Akira spoke up first. "We prefer to let our children choose whom they will marry, as well as the timeline."

"Although your son is a bit of a troublemaker," Yorihisa said, seemingly in jest. "Perhaps he would benefit from an arranged marriage."

"Your son is the troublemaker," Akira responded without a beat. "Need I remind you that Mitsukuni is the reason nine times out of ten that Takashi was sent to the hospital in his youth?"

"Amaya, what are you doing?"

Takashi's voice behind her made her jump. "Eavesdropping," she said, knowing there was no use trying to hide it.

"I need help changing my bandage."

"Oh, okay."

She followed him out of the Central Salon and to the kitchen nearby. It was empty. Takashi pulled off his French Renaissance styled jacket to reveal blood soaking through his white ruffled shirt.

"It's still bleeding?" Amaya said, quickly growing concerned.

"I was driving the horses," came his excuse.

She helped him remove his shirt before carefully unwrapping the bandage she had put on earlier. She paused, as Takashi was doing something strange. He had leaned over and was smelling her hair.

"It smells like lavender," he said.

Amaya disregarded him for the moment because his wound was still bleeding. Upon closer inspection, Amaya realized that it was deeper than she had initially thought. He had been slowly losing blood for the past hour.

"You're getting blood on your dress."

"It doesn't matter," she said, not really paying attention to his words. "Takashi, I think you need stitches."

"I don't need stitches."

"Takashi, are you feeling okay?" He was acting very strangely and had a far away look in his eyes.

"I'm okay, and you're beautiful."

Amaya felt the skin on his forehead. It was cooler than it should have been.

"Wait here," she said.

She ran back to the Central Salon, looking for Honey. When she couldn't find him, she began searching for anyone in the Host Club. They were all outside with the carriages. She had to move quickly, lest Takashi pass out. Her eyes landed on the person she least likely wanted to talk to.

"Haninozuka-sama," she said, bowing. She had cut him off mid-conversation. He was clearly miffed, but she did not let him speak. "Takashi is still bleeding from his cut earlier. He needs to be taken to the hospital." She looked up at him and made eye contact. "Please," she said urgently. "He's lost a lot of blood."

Her father made a quick decision. "Where is he?" he said.

"Follow me," she responded, leading him out of the Salon. Akira caught up with them as they stepped over the threshold into the hallway.

"What's going on?" he said.

"Takashi," both Amaya and Yorihisa said at the same time.

Amaya pushed open the door to the kitchen. Takashi had moved toward the window, looking out at the sunset. Blood was dripping from his arm onto the floor. He turned at the three and smiled.

Akira's jaw dropped.

"I'll call the car," Yorihisa said, moving into action. "Get him outside!"

Amaya quickly moved to Takashi's side, grabbing a towel along the way. She took his injured arm and staunched the fresh bleeding with the towel before putting her arm around his waist and leading him toward the door. Akira was immediately at his other side, guiding him toward the exit. They got him out the door and toward the street just as a car pulled up. Amaya somehow managed to find herself squished in the backseat holding the towel to Takashi's arm. Akira was on the other side of Takashi, a little squished himself. The back seat of this particular vehicle had obviously not been made for tall men. She assumed it was a Haninozuka car. Yorihisa hopped into the passenger seat and gave directions to the hospital.

Amaya would always look back on that car ride with humor, but at the time, it was the most awkward ride imaginable. They rode in silence, but every now and again Takashi would punctuate the silence with some statement that was incredibly uncharacteristic.

"You look nice in purple, Amaya. Plums are tasty," was the first one.

"Father, I think that she is very cute," was the second.

"I really like it when we get to spar each other," was the third, and perhaps most embarrassing.

"He doesn't know what he's saying," she finally said, trying to ease the discomfort.

"No," replied Akira, "unfortunately he doesn't know what he's saying, but they're all true statements."

Amaya blushed. "I've never seen him in a state like this before," she said.

"He gets like this when he is tired. I can imagine he's lost enough blood to be fatigued."

They arrived at the hospital and a nurse was quickly with them.

"What type of weapon caused this wound?" she asked.

"A katana," Amaya replied.

The nurse looked at her with concern. "Does he normally play with katana?"

"I wouldn't call it 'playing,' but yes."

She paused, looking from Amaya to the two men behind her.

"He needs stitches and a blood transfusion."

"Type O," Akira said.

"Thank you. Now, you're his father?" she asked Akira. He nodded. "Non-family members must wait in the lobby," she said to Amaya and Yorihisa.

Father and daughter returned to the lobby, sitting side by side in silence. Amaya dared not speak, and Yorihisa said nothing.

A few minutes later, footsteps came running up to them.

"I heard he needed a blood transfusion!"

"Did Takashi pass out?"

"How many stitches did he get?"

Honey, Yasuchika, and Satoshi stood in front of them, eyes bright with excitement as they considered the new battle scar that Takashi had obtained. Amaya looked away, then at the three boys in front of her. She pursed her lips and glanced at Yorihisa, who was also not speaking. The boys finally recognized the tone of the situation, and in an effort not to make it worse, sat down across from them in silence.

A few more minutes passed. Amaya began to bite her nails.

"Don't bite your nails," her father said quietly. She immediately stopped and put her hands in her lap, fidgeting with her ring instead.

"Yes, sir."

More time passed.

"That is a beautiful ring. Might I ask where you came upon such a treasure?" an unfamiliar voice inquired.

Amaya turned to her left to find the source of the voice, an elderly woman sitting a chair away.

"It was my mother's, which she handed down to me before she passed away."

"It looks familiar to me," she said. "May I see it?"

Amaya noticed that Yorihisa stiffened up as she removed her ring and handed it to the woman.

"It is very similar," she said. "But it can't be the one I know. That one disappeared years ago. And here I thought it was one of a kind."

Yorihisa relaxed as the woman handed the ring back to her.

Before Amaya could ask the woman's name, the nurse came up to them.

"He's had a successful transfusion and received sixteen stitches. He's sleeping but you may see him now. Please follow me."

The five of them stood up and followed the nurse to Takashi's hospital room. His arm was bandaged, but he looked peaceful in his sleep.

"Thank you Amaya-san," Akira said as she stepped into the room. "It might have been worse had you not taken care of him."

Amaya took the opportunity to glare at Satoshi and Honey, who sheepishly grinned at her.

"They said they wanted to keep him overnight to monitor the transfusion. We should let him rest and return in the morning."

"May...may I stay here?" Amaya asked hesitantly.

Akira looked at Yorihisa before saying, "Yes."

"Amaya-chan, he'll be okay," said Honey, squeezing her hand to comfort her.

"I know," she responded. "I just don't want to leave yet."

As they filed out of the room, Amaya pulled a chair up to the side of Takashi's bed. She turned and met Yorihisa's eyes. She saw some hesitation in his face, but finally he nodded at her before he stepped out of the room.

When she was completely left alone, she buried her face in the sheets of the hospital bed and cried.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you, thank you to pessimisticiguana, T'Mu-Yor, Mamabug, CassandraaCaitlinn and Christi-AnitaXD for the reviews :3 Thanks for your support on my writing! I, also, like the UST between Amaya and Takashi. Also, many thanks to those who followed and favorited. I really wanted to explore what it would be like if Takashi were injured, rather than Amaya, and the completely opposite reactions of the boys to his injuries compared to hers. Plus, it's fun to imagine the awkwardness of throwing Amaya into a situation like this with Yorihisa and the rest of the family. I may bring back all seven of them in another chapter. Anyway, hope you enjoy!


	14. On the Edge of the Future

"Amaya?"

Takashi lifted his sleepy head to find himself in a hospital bed. The sun was just beginning to shine through the window. He rubbed his eyes and looked around the room. No one was there.

 _I must have been dreaming_ , he thought. He took in his surroundings, noticing the gauze taped to his arm. He slowly peeled it back, finding that it protected fifteen, no, sixteen perfect black stitches. What a scar that would turn into. It would be his third from a katana blade.

Mitsukuni bounded into the room, hopping on his bed. "Takashi! You're finally awake!" he exclaimed. "Do you remember what happened yesterday?"

Takashi taped the gauze back down and thought for a moment. "I remember when I was wounded," he said, assessing the situation in hindsight. He put his head in his hands and groaned. "I should have listened to Amaya."

"She did tell you it was worse than you thought," Mitsukuni told him. "You lost a lot of blood yesterday...enough to require a transfusion."

"Did I say anything embarrassing?"

"Father said that the car ride was...uncomfortable."

Takashi sighed heavily. "Where is she?"

"She went home. She was here until late last night."

Takashi sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He hated making her worry.

"She likes you a lot," Mitsukuni noted. Takashi could see that his friend was hinting towards a deeper conversation.

"I know."

"Do you love her?"

Mitsukuni's words caught him off guard. Takashi frowned at his small friend, imploring him silently to stop this conversation. Mitsukuni was usually this forward when they were alone together, so the question didn't necessarily surprise him. However, this was a conversation he did not want to be having after waking up in a hospital bed.

"Yes," he said after a long pause.

"Are you going to act on those feelings?" Obviously, Mitsukuni wasn't getting the message that the conversation was unwelcome.

Here was the question that convoluted everything. He did not want to drive a wedge between his own family and the Haninozuka family, even if he loved the girl. Mitsukuni would tell him it was okay, but Takashi wasn't yet able to cause his best friend that much pain, either. Mitsukuni and Yorihisa had a good relationship. Yorihisa was excessively proud of his firstborn son, yet Amaya's presence ripped through that pride with shame that was like a dark smear. Takashi was sure that the pressure on Mitsukuni was difficult to bear.

"No. Not yet."

"We're graduating soon, Takashi. Do you think she'll wait for us to be family heads?"

"That is a long time to ask someone to wait," he said with another exasperated sigh.

"Are you going to break her heart?" Mitsukuni asked quietly, soliciting Takashi's response with his large, golden-brown eyes.

Here was another question that made Takashi question himself. If he chose his family, he knew he would hurt her. In his three years of high school, he had turned down many girls at Ouran, crushing their dreams. Not many girls could compare with the love that Takashi had for Mitsukuni, but Amaya came damn close. Takashi knew that if he turned her away, he would also be breaking his own heart.

 _Is this truly the only option?_ he asked himself. No matter what choice he made, he knew he would feel regret.

"Takashi?" Mitsukuni pulled him out of his thoughts. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to," he said. "But consider your own heart, too."

Takashi could never understand how Mitsukuni read him so well, but he was glad to have his best friend at his side.

"Mitsukuni," Takashi began, wondering what his friend thought about the situation, "she's your sister."

"I can't believe father hid her for so long," Mitsukuni stated harshly. "It's sickening."

Very rarely was Mitsukuni so objective about his dislike for something, and every time he spoke out like this he surprised Takashi.

"Your father is honorable," Takashi replied, not willing to speak ill about Yorihisa. "There is something about the situation that he is hiding."

"He's not helping himself by hiding it," retorted Mitsukuni. "He's only succeeding in pushing her, and me, away."

"You can confront him."

Mitsukuni looked toward his toes, swinging his feet back and forth over the edge of the bed. "If I do, it has to be a fight."

"You wouldn't lose."

"No, but how different would that be than forcing his hand? If my father comes clean about what happened so many years ago, he needs to do it of his own accord. That's the only way he'll overcome his shame."

Once again, Takashi's small friend showed his maturity despite his child-like appearance.

Before they could continue their conversation, a familiar face came into view and knocked on the open doorway.

"Mind if I come in?" Kyoya stood at the door with a bright twinkle in his eye.

"Of course Kyo-chan!"

"I have some interesting news that I'd like to share with you two," he began.

* * *

 _8 hours earlier..._

"The cafeteria will be closing soon," came a voice at the door. "You might want something to eat. I also brought you some extra clothes...I'm sure it's not comfortable wearing a dress covered in dried blood, even if it is Mori-senpai's." Amaya turned from her perch near Takashi's bed, finding Kyoya standing at the door.

"How did you...?" she began.

"It's my family's hospital," he responded. "I know what happens here."

Amaya gave him an unconvinced look.

"Fine," he said. "Honey called me. I do have after hours access though."

"Are you here to tell me something else about my family that I don't know?" she asked him obtusely. She had always gotten the feeling that Kyoya knew more than he let on, especially when it came to her family. At times like these, she resented him for it.

"Maybe," he said calmly. "But Takashi is my friend, too. I wanted to make sure it wasn't worse than in the reports. Thank you for taking care of him." Kyoya looked at his watch. "Come on, you should get food before they stop serving for the evening. He's not going to wake up soon."

Amaya thanked him hesitantly, suspicious of his kindness toward her. He knew something that she didn't, and he was going to make sure the news was delivered in the most lucrative way possible. Nevertheless, she made her way down the hall and changed into the clothes he brought her before joining him in the cafeteria. She ordered the onigiri and sat down at one of the tables to eat.

"So, what news are you going to break about my father this time?" she asked him.

"We're on the same page as far as he goes," he said.

"The Morinozuka family, then," she stated, trying to figure out what he was after.

"Not this time," he replied blithely, "although I've heard that Akira-sama has taken quite the liking to you."

"He's more cordial than my own father." She took a bite of her onigiri, surprised at how ravenous she was. "Don't change the subject," she said with a full mouth. "You're hiding secrets."

Kyoya sighed and glanced at his watch. "I'm not hiding anything," he said. Amaya didn't believe him. "I'm simply ensuring that my friends are taken care of."

Amaya paused mid-chew, narrowing her eyes. She sensed a double meaning behind his words. For once, his intentions seemed pure, but there was definitely more to the situation. _  
_

She registered footsteps near the entrance of the cafeteria. Both she and Kyoya looked toward the new visitor. Amaya quickly recognized the woman from earlier who had asked about her ring. Kyoya seemed to know her and stood up to greet her.

"Good evening, Nagasaka-sama," he began. "I hope your stay in the hospital has been comfortable so far."

"It has been pleasant," she said. "My husband is recovering just fine, thanks to the care of your doctors."

"We do take pride in employing our nation's top doctors," he responded with an award-winning smile.

"I was hoping to find something to eat before the cafeteria closes," she said. "Would you mind if I join you?"

"It would be our pleasure," Kyoya responded.

The woman placed her order, returning to the table with a bento box.

"Ah, we met earlier," the woman said, greeting Amaya as she sat at the table. "You're the girl with the incredible ring. I can't stop thinking about it!"

Amaya slipped the ring off of her finger and traced around the filigree. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry.

"Emiko Nagasaka and her husband Shion are two of the top jewelers in Japan," Kyoya explained.

"My husband specializes in filigree," Emiko continued. "Your ring has many similarities to a ring my husband custom made many years ago, before we were married. Not many jewelers in the world can filigree such a tight design as that one. Do you mind if I ask what jeweler made it?"

"To be honest, I don't know. I'm not sure where my mother got it from. I assumed it was a family heirloom, but she never spoke about her family before she died."

"Well, if you want to know, my husband could appraise it for you after he fully recovers."

"Your ring would be quite safe with them," Kyoya piped in, a little too eagerly for Amaya's liking.

Amaya slipped the ring off of her finger and handed it to Emiko, curious herself. It was a long shot, but perhaps she might find out some interesting information about the Matsura family. The older woman studied the ring again before pulling a ring box from her purse and tucking the rubied band safely inside.

"I'll do what I can," she said finally.

Amaya finished the last few bites of her onigiri while Kyoya and Emiko exchanged pleasantries and small talk. Her hand felt naked without her ring. She excused herself after a few more minutes and left the two to converse as she made her way back to Takashi's room.

He was still sleeping, but she pulled her chair closer to his bed and took his hand in her own. His long fingers were warm. She absentmindedly began tracing the veins in his hands up his forearm and back down, meditating on the constant pulse that drove blood to his extremities.

She wondered why her mother had never spoken of her own family. Amaya grew up without a father, without siblings, and without extended family. Grandparents weren't a part of her life, nor aunts, nor uncles, nor cousins. She thought of how tightly knit the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families were, and a wave of sadness passed over her.

"It doesn't make any sense, Takashi!" she exclaimed. "Why can't I have a normal family. A mother and a father...brothers and sisters. Why did all of that get taken away from me? What's even worse, all of this bars me from you, too. Why does family have to play such a significant role here?" Even in modern Eastern culture, independence wasn't as highly regarded as it was in the United States. She felt the weight of being without a family much more here than she ever had in California.

Her thoughts turned to another subject: Takashi. She thought back to the many instances of Takashi's kindness toward her in the past few months, the comments he made, the subtle looks, and the deep conversations. She finally admitted to herself that Takashi returned her feelings. With his actions, there was no denying it. But, he would have to be the one to act on those feelings because of his own position within his family in relation to hers, and the uncertainty of such an action on his part made her apprehensive. She knew that if he didn't act, she would have to, and the results could be disastrous.

"If you care about me, Takashi, don't make me wait to hear it."

She put her head down on the side of the bed and closed her eyes as fatigue began to overtake her. It had been a long day, but she still did not yet want to leave Takashi's side.

Moments passed and Amaya began dozing off. When she awoke, she found her fingers still entwined with his.

"Let me give you a ride home. It's late."

Amaya was too tired to be startled by Kyoya's voice behind her. She let go of Takashi's hand and glanced at the clock. It was well past midnight, and she had stayed at the hospital longer than she intended.

With Kyoya watching, she leaned down and kissed Takashi's forehead gently before leaving the room.

A few moments after the door closed, Takashi mumbled her name in his sleep.

* * *

"Hah!"

"Kyah!"

"Hyuh!"

Amaya's kiais echoed around the empty dojo, punctuated by his own as Takashi threw punches and kicks toward her, trying to catch her off guard.

Amaya was steadily improving at a faster rate than Takashi had expected. Although he was still stronger than her, she had almost overtaken him in speed.

About a month had passed since the Ouran Festival and his overnight in the hospital, and while things with Amaya were back to normal, it was only a matter of time before they would change again. Kyoya had dropped a massive bomb in the hospital that had everything to do with Amaya, and it had taken Takashi and Mitsukuni a while to wrap their heads around the situation. Parts of it still didn't make sense, and Kyoya implored them to keep the information a secret until he could fully work out the details. As much as Takashi didn't want to admit that it changed the way he interacted with Amaya, it had. He had no loss of love for her, but he hated keeping secrets from her.

She threw a wheel kick at him. He blocked it but grunted at the impact, impressed once again by the strength that this girl possessed. Before she could pull it back, however, he twisted his hands and formed an arm lock around her shin, twisting and pulling her off balance and over. She anticipated and jumped, swinging her other leg up and into a modified crescent kick. Takashi leaned backwards to avoid the kick and let go of her, getting his hand up just in time to block a punch that she was following with as her first foot touched the ground.

Her momentum was still moving in the direction of the kick, so he moved in behind her and swept her unbalanced foot off of the ground, taking her down to grapple. He straddled her and pinned her arms down, but she was quick enough to avoid the pin and shoved her left hand against his knee while pushing her right against the inside of his elbow to break his guard. Without a balanced position, he faltered and crashed through the short distance, falling on top of her. She used all of her might to flip him onto his back, staying low to the ground in an effort to keep the upper hand. She quickly got into the perfect position to execute an armbar, but Takashi saw it coming. As she swung her legs into position with his arm locked over it, he followed, bending at the elbow to prevent the pressure at his joint. In a second, he was behind her and had her in a headlock. Normally, this was a position he wouldn't have been able to afford, but he utilized the fact that his limbs were much longer than hers in order to leverage an upper hand.

She tapped out.

"Ah!" she exclaimed, clearly frustrated. "I was so sure I had you on that one!"

"Close," he responded, breathing heavily. "I only got out of that one because I'm taller than you."

"That's really not fair," she said haughtily.

"Mitsukuni could teach you how to use your stature to your advantage," he responded lightly. He stood up and reached his long limbs out toward the sky, yawning. "We'll stretch before we're done today. You should find an Onsen and relax tonight."

"Why?"

"Exams."

"Oh, right," she said, beginning to stretch out her hamstrings.

Those in Class 3 who wished to attend Ouran University had their internal exam in the coming days.

"Are you planning on going to Ouran University, or did you take the exams to study abroad?" she asked him.

"Ouran University. I have to start learning the family business, too, so I need to remain close to home."

Takashi was mildly surprised by her question. He thought she knew. Normally, Ouran High School fed straight into the University. It was as prestigious as the high school. Because the high school already presented its own exams, students didn't have to take the national exams to be accepted. However, some of the students opted to go abroad for their college years to Ivy League schools-Cambridge, Stanford, and the like.

"What are you planning on studying?" Takashi asked. He actually had very little idea what Amaya wanted to do with her life.

"I don't know," she sighed. "I've already been offered a scholarship if my test scores are high enough, but given the state of things, I'm not even certain that I should pursue University right now. Perhaps Ouran wasn't meant to be my future."

Takashi was perplexed by her answer. She was smart, passionate about her school work and her extra curricular activities, and had so much potential to be great at anything she did.

"Let's be honest, Takashi," she continued, furrowing her brows in frustration as she did a lunge. "I don't have any ties to Tokyo. I don't have any family here, and I can't stay with Tomiju forever."

"A university degree would be worth it regardless," he stated. "And besides, the Host Club will still be here," he said, trying to reassure her. A complete disappearance from Ouran would be difficult for the entire club, let alone for him, to accept. _I'll still be here_ , he thought.

Amaya read between the lines.

"You're sweet, Takashi, but I'm not going to interfere with your future, either. High school has been nice, but we both know our relationship can't continue after here." She said the words in a matter-of-fact way, but he could tell that she was trying incredibly hard not to choke on them.

He looked down, guilt pouring over him. Takashi didn't know how to fight for her to stay, because he knew he would just be drawing out their feelings for one another if he did. His options flashed through his head and almost made him flinch, like they always did. He could forsake his family, or he could forget Amaya, and he didn't have the option of not choosing. If only he had more time! He hoped that the information Kyoya had shared with him would be enough to keep her in Tokyo, at least. If it did, he could try to change things later when he became the head of his own family. That was the best plan so far, but he still wasn't confident in it.

"It may just be better for me to leave," she finally said. "I'll take some time off and apply to University next year, perhaps in the states."

Takashi stood from stretching and opened the doors of the dojo, not knowing how to answer her. A cold breeze entered the building and he turned to see Amaya standing near him.

"It's better if I leave here, isn't it?" She said the words as a statement rather than a question.

He only looked at her with sadness filling his dark irises. "I don't know," he said, ashamed that these were the only words he could find.

They stood in silence for a few moments. "It's okay, Takashi," she said quietly, clearly disappointed by his answer. For a moment it looked like she was about to say something else, but instead she changed the subject.

"I heard there's another tournament coming up at the end of the school year, hosted by the Haninozuka family," she said brightly. It was true. The Haninozuka's were replacing their involvement with the Tokyo City Martial Arts Tournament with a tournament of their own. Amaya continued. "We have the rest of the winter and the spring. I was thinking that we could start focusing on some weapons techniques so I can be prepared!"

Takashi's heart fell. The grin on Amaya's face faltered when she saw him hesitate.

"It's an all male tournament," he said hesitantly.

"Oh, of course it is." She picked up her bag. "Still, we should still start with weapons tomorrow." Without giving him a chance to respond, she walked out of the dojo and into the wind.

Takashi was bothered by their conversation. He stood at the door of the dojo watching Amaya. He wondered if when the time came, he could ever forgive himself for letting her walk away.

As he stood watching her disappear, his phone began to ring. It was Tamaki.

"Mori-senpai! We have special guests coming to the Host Club today, so please get here without delay! These guests were quite unexpected, so we have to hurry to prepare."

* * *

The wind whipped Amaya's ponytail around as she left the dojo. She was discouraged by her conversation with Takashi and upset by his lack of responses. She made her way toward classroom 3-A to pick up her bag of school books before leaving for the day.

She found the classroom empty save for Haruhi, who was standing near the window and looking out over the courtyard.

"Hey Haruhi, what are you doing here?"

"I came to find you. We have special guests at the Host Club today, so Kyoya told me to make sure you came looking your best."

Amaya knew she looked disheveled. Hair was falling every which way about her face from the wind, and her ponytail was lopsided. She sighed heavily.

"I'll shower and be over in a bit," she said. "Did Kyoya mention why I have to be there?" She didn't want to go to the Host Club today, especially after her conversation with Takashi. She needed time to process what had happened, but it didn't look like she was going to get it.

"No...he just said there would be consequences if you didn't show up."

"Oh. Well for your sake I'll be there," she replied. The two girls made eye contact, sharing the same distaste for the uncalled for extravagance that normally occurred behind the doors of the Third Music Room.

Amaya wandered back to the girls' locker room and showered, dwelling on Takashi as she rinsed the stale sweat from her hair.

She didn't know when she had fallen in love with him, but she admitted it to herself now. Her feelings for him were much more than just attraction and love for their friendship. Recently though, every time she spoke with him, trained with him, or interacted with him, there was mild tension. In fact, ever since his stay in the hospital, she felt that there was distance between them and she wasn't sure why. With graduation impending, they were both holding back from one another and that the friendship they had built was beginning to crumble. It burned her up knowing that she couldn't do anything about it, and she desperately wished he would say something.

She put her uniform back on and braided her hair into one long, single french braid, the way her mother used to style her own hair. She searched through her bag for her ring, glad to have it back in her possession. It had been returned to her after a couple of weeks in Emiko's hands, but with no new information as to who her mother had been. However, she did find out that the ring was a true ruby and was worth quite a sum, so she was still curious as to where her mother had acquired such a thing.

Finally ready, she made her way to the Host Club.

She pushed open the door to the Third Music Room, rose petals and the sweet scent of cake greeting her per usual. This time, however, the room was devoid of other customers and the Host Club members weren't dressed in themed attire. They didn't even notice her enter, and were instead seated around an elderly couple who were laughing and sipping on their tea.

"You've picked out the finest china! I'm impressed that this school has such a tasteful club," the woman said.

"We commissioned the designs ourselves," Hikaru said.

"It's one of a kind," followed Kaoru.

"Would you like some cake?" Honey asked. "We have chocolate, red velvet, and carrot cakes today."

"No, thank you, but I would take another cup of this oolong," the gentleman said. Takashi stood and completed the request.

Amaya cleared her throat. "Excuse me," she said.

"Ah, you're here," Kyoya began, turning his head as if he just noticed her. Before he could continue, the jarring sound of a teacup crashing to the floor broke through the chatter and silence fell over the entire group. Amaya glanced toward the source of the sound. The gentleman was staring at her open mouthed. His teacup had slipped from his hand and had shattered on the floor. The woman's face had turned white, as if she was seeing a ghost.

After a few agonizing moments of silence, he found his voice.

"K-Kazu?" he asked.

Amaya's eyes went wide. It was her turn to freeze out of shock and confusion.

"Kazunomiya?" he asked a second time.

"How do you know that name?" Amaya whispered.

"Kazunomiya is my daughter," he replied. His hands were visibly shaking.

Amaya's brain whirred a million miles per minute. Dare she believe what was happening?

"Kazunomiya," she said slowly, "was my mother."

The gentleman caught the meaning in her words. "Was?" he asked, almost choking.

"She passed away, a little over a year ago," Amaya said softly. She felt something wet on her face. Tears had appeared out of nowhere.

"No..." breathed the woman, and she, too, began to cry.

For a moment no one in the room moved. Finally Honey gathered up his courage to break the silence.

"Don't cry," he said sweetly, "Your daughter raised a beautiful and lovely daughter of her own. Don't you want to get to know her?"

Amaya stepped closer to the couch that her grandparents were sitting on and knelt in front of them.

"Grandmother? Grandfather?" she asked, eyes bright with excitement and hope, "I'm Amaya Matsura. I want to be a part of your family...a part of the Matsura family."

Her grandparents glanced at each other suddenly. "Matsura..." they said together, as if they were unfamiliar with the name.

Amaya looked quickly to Mitsukuni and Takashi, suddenly confused. She always assumed her surname was her mother's maiden name. She looked back to her grandparents, suddenly noticing the crests on their clothing. _No_... she thought. She quickly removed her ring and compared it to the crest, all the comments, hints, and similarities about the piece of jewelry flooding back into her mind.

"No..." she repeated aloud, holding the ring in front of her. "It can't be. My mother was a Tokugawa?"

"And you are a Tokugawa," replied her grandfather slowly, letting the weight of the words sink over her. "We gave your mother that ring as a gift upon her betrothal. It is a family heirloom."

Amaya was speechless, trying to take in all of this information and what it meant for her.

"You...you want me?" she asked, incredulous. At this point, tears were streaming down her face. At her words, Honey and Takashi exchanged glances, both ashamed that theirs could not be the family to welcome her.

"Of course," her grandmother whispered. "We were so distraught when Kazu ran away. When Kyoya-san told us that he may have located a granddaughter, we were overjoyed at the thought of a reunion with our own daughter. But it seems we waited much too long. We pushed her away and never got a chance to ask for her forgiveness. Will you forgive us?"

Amaya turned to look at Kyoya. Too emotional to be angry at him for hiding the knowledge from her for the past few weeks. She mouthed the words "thank you," at him before turning back to address her grandparents.

"There is nothing to forgive. I am just happy to have found you."

"We have so many questions," her grandmother said, relief flooding her face.

"I have so many questions..." Amaya breathed, wiping tears from her eyes.

"And we have all the time in the world for them," her grandfather said, picking her up off the floor and pulling her into a secure embrace.

* * *

 **A/N:** Woooooo! Update! Finally! Thanks for your patience, reviews, likes, favorites, all of that stuff. I loved reading the reviews on the last chapter-shoutout to Shortie87 for calling it! Yes, the ring had been in the works to be a Tokugawa heirloom from the beginning. It only made sense to me that Amaya was descended from a strong Shogun family, and I really want to explore the power play between the Tokugawas and the Haninozukas.

Thanks to T'Mu-Yor, Mamabug, Cristi-anitaXD, pessimisticiguana, Shortie87, angelvoice15, lightlovebunny, and all the guests for the reviews.

To answer lightlovebunny's question, and so you all know what's in store next, I am planning on continuing the story slightly past the end of the manga with an epilogue and maybe a few future one-shots here and there. I'm also taking a bunch of liberties in terms of where the anime and manga crossover-while the beginning of Amaya's story followed closer to the anime I'm planning to move into the graduation phase of the manga and beyond.

Once again, I seriously apologize for delays in posting chapters, but I am totally committed to finishing this story so please be patient with me!


	15. Secrets Don't Make Friends, Or Family

Amaya sat in the parlor of a mansion that was much too big for her liking, attended by servants who were much too polite for her liking, and on a couch that was much too stiff for her liking. She was in the home of her uncle Inejiro, heir to the Tokugawa legacy. Her grandparents were sitting across from her, awaiting Inejiro and his wife to join them. Inejiro was her mother's older brother and only sibling, and from what she understood they had been close growing up.

Amaya and her grandparents had quickly grown close in the days that followed their first meeting. They had gone to the tea house, met Tomiju, and seen where their daughter had spent her time prior to moving across the ocean. Now, they wanted to gather the family together to talk about the more difficult details, things like the reasons why Kazunimiya had run away and Amaya's parentage. Amaya was nervous, but excited to hear about her mother's childhood for the first time and to fill in the details of her disappearance from the Tokugawa family.

Inejiro entered the room, followed by his wife. He looked stately, dressed in a fine suit with the Tokugawa crest pinned to the lapel. His wife was dressed in a traditional kimono, bearing the image of a powerful matriarch. As professional and noble as they appeared, Amaya noticed a hesitancy in her uncle's eyes when he greeted her. He was nervous, too, and somehow that put Amaya at ease. She wasn't the only one.

"You look just like her, but without her eyes," he said once they were all seated.

"Yes, I have my father's eyes."

In the back of her mind came a thought that had been nagging at her since she found out who her mother was. Had her father known? Or had Kazunomiya just been a girl at a tea house to him?

The five family members settled into silence. No one was sure what question to ask or what memories they wanted to relive first. Amaya spoke up hesitantly, wanting to hear a pleasant story to start off the evening.

"What was she like growing up?"

Her grandfather cracked a smile. "Highly independent, and good at everything she put her mind to. She was stubborn, but she overflowed with loving kindness. She wanted to do life her own way."

"There was a time when we were children," Inejiro began, "when she wanted to be respected by the boys-all of my friends. We were playing soccer in the yard and she kept begging to join. When we wouldn't let her, she just ran on the field and stole the ball away from my friend, and scored a goal within the first minute. Needless to say, we fought over which team would have her after that."

Amaya smiled to herself. _Sounds like something I would do,_ she thought.

"I'm sure your friend was embarrassed after that," she said.

"Not at all. She made quite an impression on him..." he replied, reminiscing. Then, with a laugh, "He developed quite the crush on her."

"By high school, we enrolled her at Lobelia Academy, but she always wanted to go to Ouran. We felt that Lobelia held the best options for her future though. At the time, the curriculum was much more balanced in that it taught women to be autonomous, to have careers, to be entrepreneurs, and the like. Ouran felt like a place to send a girl who wanted to run a household, and that was never Kazunomiya."

Amaya gazed at the troubled look on her grandfather's face. "Why did she want to go to Ouran?" she asked.

"She was in love," her grandmother responded.

"In love, but born in the wrong world for the love that she wanted," Inejiro spoke up.

"What do you mean?" Amaya asked.

"She was stifled by the extravagance of the upper class," her grandfather replied. "She hated dressing up, hated formal dinners, hated receiving guests in all of the pomp and circumstance required by our status. She didn't see the point of it all."

"That's really what drove her away," her grandmother added. "We arranged a marriage for her, one where we thought she would be happy. On paper, it was everything that she wanted, but even though the match was well thought out with her feelings taken into consideration, she could not bear the thought of being a wife and living her life in the same extravagance that she had grown up in."

"Apparently, not even love could keep her here," Inejiro mentioned. He reached out his hand and took his wife's in his own. Amaya was pleased to know that this family was not shy from affection.

"She disappeared without warning, only leaving a note," her grandfather said. Amaya could tell that the memory bore down hard upon him. "She was afraid to break off the marriage, and was afraid of what we would say or do. For some reason, she felt she had no other options than to run."

"We searched for her, anywhere and everywhere we could think of. We looked at all of the passenger lists on planes and trains that had left the country, searched out all of the taxi drivers that service our area, but there was nothing. She confided in no one before she left. We had no idea that she had hidden herself right under our noses, in a tea house."

"So, she wasn't running from a loveless marriage prospect, but rather the future that it would bring her?" Amaya asked.

"Yes," her brother said. "And we never saw her again."

"What happened to her betrothed?" Amaya asked.

"His family quickly arranged another marriage for him and he married out of duty. It was a smooth transition and ultimately avoided drama. To this day not many people know he was engaged twice. He and his wife had a rough start, but he came to love her with as much, if not more, affection than he had bestowed upon my sister."

"From a political standpoint, had Kazunomiya stayed, it would have been a powerful match," he grandfather added as an afterthought. "I don't know if she knew how much freedom she ran from."

"Who was he?" Amaya asked, wondering if she should pay respects to him and ask for forgiveness for her mother.

"Hah," laughed Inejiro, eyes sparkling. "The same friend that she stole the soccer ball from when we were children. He caught sight of her then and never wanted to let her go. It was so easy for her to fall in love with him. It was like they were made for each other. He has since changed from the carefree young child he used to be, even more so after the death of his wife, but he still heads one of the most powerful families in Japan. Yorihisa Haninozuka. Our family relationships changed after the end of the engagement. The Haninozukas became cold toward the Tokugawas, as expected, I suppose."

Amaya turned white. She couldn't breathe. She felt like she had been hit by a freight train.

"Amaya?" her grandmother asked, noticing her change in pallor.

Amaya hardly heard her. Instead, the room began to spin. Her uncle and aunt no longer appeared upright in their chairs, but oddly, sideways. Before she passed out, Amaya came to the realization that it was she who was falling, and that she could not right herself.

She came to after a couple of minutes, the fuzzy images of her family coming into focus as they gazed down at her. They were still seated in the parlor, but she was lying on the couch propped up by a few pillows. A cool rag was draped over her forehead and her grandmother quickly put a glass of water to her lips.

"Are you alright?" Inejiro asked instantly. "What was that?"

"Give her some space!" his wife insisted. "It was obviously a lot for her to take in! She is in the same class with the eldest Haninozuka boy, after all."

"No," Amaya said softly, sitting up further and taking the glass of water from her grandmother. "That's not why the information was surprising."

She looked around at her family members, suddenly aware that she would be breaking some big news to them. She didn't know what this would mean for the family, but they had to know the truth.

"Please, sit down first," Amaya said, feeling the weight of the situation. As her family members returned to their own chairs, she took a deep breath.

"Yorihisa Haninozuka," she began, "is my father."

She saw looks of confusion on the faces of her grandparents.

"Kazu was pregnant when she ran?" they wondered aloud.

"No, no, no..." Amaya said, "Please don't misunderstand." She paused, not knowing how to continue. "I'm sure you heard rumors of Yorihisa-sama's affair after he was married? To a-"

"A woman from a tea house," Inejiro finished for her. His eyes had become dark as began to understand the timeline of what had happened.

Amaya's grandparents were ashen. "Is this true?" her grandmother wondered, making sense of the situation.

"Does he know that he is your father?" her grandfather asked her.

Amaya met his eyes. "He knows," she said gravely. "When I first met him, he treated me like I was born of a common status. He told me that my mother was just a common beauty...that I was conceived in a moment of weakness." She thought back to the letter that her mother had written him before she died, the one she had delivered on her first day in Tokyo. "My mother claimed the same thing. I grew up believing I was a Matsura."

"That bastard!" Inejiro yelled, standing up in his anger. Amaya and her grandparents were startled by his outburst. His wife stood up to try to calm him. "That bastard knew where she was and hid her from us! He hid Kazu, he hid Amaya, he kept our family broken. Just wait until I get my hands on that man..."

"No!" Amaya pleaded. "Please. Don't confront him yet. Imagine his shame-a broken engagement, the first woman he loved refusing the life he could provide, an affair...even if my mother had returned, she wouldn't have been happy here. You know that, deep down. Please don't blame him.

"My mother made a choice. It was wrong of her to run away like that, but she was young. He was young. Don't begrudge them the mistakes of the past. I know that my mother loved him, so please, for her sake, don't blame him for what happened."

Inejiro turned toward her, still fuming. "I could have seen my sister again if he had been honest. Now I will never see her again."

"As wrong as he was, he is a man with integrity," Amaya said softly, trying hard to believe her own words and put faith in the man that her mother had loved. "My mother must have made him promise to be silent, for her sake and his. If he loved her as much as you say he did, his actions had to be motivated more by love than by shame. I can't imagine what he has been through."

Amaya's empathy for her father moved Inejiro, and he sat down in a huff.

"That may be true," he begrudgingly admitted, "but this is not a situation that can be ignored."

"Tsuneo," Amaya's grandmother began, addressing her husband. "What do we do?"

Amaya interrupted before he could answer her. "Please," she said, "He's my father. I want to know his side of the story before any political action is taken."

The four others in the room looked at each other, carefully considering her request.

In reality, while Amaya truly felt compassion for her father's situation, she also had selfish reasons for delaying a political decision like this. If family-to-family action was taken against the Haninozukas by the Tokugawas, she would be even further separated from Takashi and Honey. Her close friendship with Takashi was beginning to crumble, but she couldn't let go of all the pieces. Not yet. She hoped that she could bring about a peaceful resolution, rather than whatever action her uncle thought necessary.

"And how do you know he will be honest with you?" her grandfather finally asked her.

"I don't know," she replied, "but give me time."

* * *

Winter quickly arrived, and Amaya's life turned into a flurry of activity. Her new status as a Tokugawa was first met with disbelief from her peers at school, but once the news was widespread she was quickly launched to popularity. Amaya hated it, but Kyoya, Tamaki, and the Host Club relished it. On days when she attended the Host Club, attendance by other girls from the school soared. She still attended the club to visit with Haruhi, Takashi, and Honey, but she soon found the attention given to her by the other patrons stifling.

"How do you do it?" she asked Haruhi one afternoon. "How do you deal with all of these girls, and boys, for that matter, fawning all over you?"

Haruhi smiled. "They're just trying to be kind," she replied. "They're curious. It's better to just let them do what they do."

Amaya looked into her teacup, her cherry blossom green tea growing cold. "But you managed to be popular from the beginning. They only care now because I'm a Tokugawa. That makes it harder to think they're just being kind. It feels like everyone has an ulterior motive."

At that moment, a group of boys from the American Football Club opened the doors of the third music room and waltzed in.

"What are you doing here?!" Tamaki immediately barked. The feuds between the two clubs were still ongoing.

"We're looking for _Tokugawa_ -san," Kanan Matsuyama, the captain of the club, replied. He bit straight into an orange and sent the zest into the air. "Goro would like to speak with her."

"Now wait just a minute!" began Tamaki, but the tallest of the group of intruding boys was already walking over to her. His face was flushed.

"I apologize for the intrusion, and my friend's lack of manners," he stated simply, "but may I speak with you? Alone?"

Amaya glanced at Haruhi, not quite sure what to do. Haruhi gave her a blank look in response. Amaya searched to find Takashi's gaze, hoping for some comfort, but his eyes were hardened. She had a queasy feeling in her stomach. She finally turned back to Goro. "Yes. You may."

Goro Minamoto bowed and held out his hand. She accepted it hesitantly. The room watched as he led her out of the door and into the hallway, and as soon as the door closed she heard frantic chatter ensue.

"Do you mind if we walk?" he asked her.

Amaya looked up into his eyes, seeing nervousness but also noticing a clarity that she hadn't bothered to look for before. Goro was in the class below her with Kyoya and Tamaki. He had a tall and muscular build, not unlike Takashi's, which was to be expected. He was the quarterback for the football team, and was actually quite skilled from what she had seen. It was unusual, since not many people in Japan played American football, but Goro had good eyesight and an excellent throw.

"Yes, let's go to the courtyard," she responded.

They walked side-by-side toward the courtyard, making small talk about the weather, football season, and new recruits. They both took seats by the fountain. Amaya looked up, catching Tamaki and Kanan peeking at them through the tall windows of the music room. They immediately ducked their heads, caught in the act.

Amaya smiled to herself before turning her attention back to Goro.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked.

He took in a deep breath, diving in. "I am deeply attracted to you," he began, "and I would be honored if you would go out with me!"

Amaya sighed. This was what she afraid would happen. "What do you find attractive about me?" she asked in return.

Goro was taken aback by her question and stumbled to try to find an answer. As he stuttered, Amaya asked him a second question.

"Let me clarify," she said. "Are you truly attracted to me? Or is your family attracted to me?"

She was met with silence as Goro's face crunched up in deep anxiety. "I don't wish to lie to you," he finally said. "My family may have suggested such a match. You have to admit, a Minamoto and a Tokugawa sound good on paper."

Amaya laughed. "On paper," she agreed.

"Don't misunderstand me," he said. "Even though it was my parent's idea, you are beautiful, and kind, and intelligent. I would still be honored if you would date me."

"Goro-san," she said, making firm eye contact with him. "I am flattered. I mean no offense when I say this, but I want to be with someone who appreciates me for being me, not for being a Tokugawa. I cannot accept your offer."

He nodded his head. "I understand. However, if you change your mind, please let me know."

Amaya smiled. _Doubtful._ "I will," she said.

She took Goro's arm and he led her back the music room.

As soon as the members of the Football Club had left, Tamaki and the twins began to badger her.

"What did he ask you?!"

Amaya took her seat next to Takashi, choosing to sit closer to him than she normally would. She reached for her teacup, noticing that the once cold tea was now steaming hot. It had been replaced in her absence. "He asked me to go out with him."

At her words, Honey and Haruhi became interested. Amaya noticed that Takashi remained stony-faced while the rest of the club only showed curiosity.

"I said no," she continued.

Takashi released a breath, and only then did Amaya notice that he had been holding it. The sudden exhale startled her and she looked up at him. She couldn't quite tell, but he looked relieved. She turned back toward her teacup, considering how he was feeling.

Ever since the news had come that she was a Tokugawa, alone time with Takashi had become scarce. They had only trained together twice since the news, and each of those sessions had been attended by other members of the school who were curious about her new status. Additionally, with impending graduation, Takashi had a heavier set of duties at the kendo club, and he was asked to guest teach the karate club, too. Amaya now had new family obligations to attend to, so their afternoon free times didn't quite match up to allow them to train together. They had yet to talk in private, and it weighed on Amaya heavily.

"Amaya-chan," Honey began, "Is Goro-chan the first boy to ask you on a date since you found out you weren't a commoner?"

"...No..." she replied hesitantly. Takashi's left hand clenched into a fist and he looked in a different direction. "But no matter how many times they ask, I'm not going to say yes to any of them," she added softly, wishing that she could ease Takashi's frustration.

"Even if you liked one of them?" Honey asked.

Amaya paused for a second before answering. "I don't like any of them," she said firmly. She noticing Takashi's fist relax, but he still didn't turn his head back to look at her. "At least, not in that way. And why now? Why try to get to know me now? They'd have to prove that it's me, and not my last name, that has their attention."

"You'll probably get a lot of marriage proposals from families now that you're recognized by the Tokugawa family," Kyoya piped in.

"Yes..." Amaya agreed. In fact, some of those requests for an arranged marriage had already been sent to her grandparents, but the family was in no way ready to accept such a proposal. "But it isn't something my grandparents are considering. At least, not after my mother ran away from her betrothed."

Takashi's head whipped toward her, and the interest of the rest of the club members grew considerably.

"Your mother ran from a betrothal?" Tamaki asked, eyes bright with curiosity. At the sudden interest, Amaya knew she had given away too much. She caught Kyoya's eyes. He was deep in thought, and she knew it was only a matter of time before he found out who her mother had been betrothed to. It was a secret that she dare not let Honey or Takashi know, at least, not yet. She needed to confront her father first, because she knew he would need to be the one to tell his family the truth.

"Yes," Amaya said tersely.

"From whom?" Haruhi asked.

"I...uh..." Amaya glanced at her watch. She needed to dodge this question. "I'm late," she said, gulping down her tea quickly. "I'll tell you the story later, promise."

She stood up to rush off, but a warm hand grabbed hers and pulled her back. Her eyes met Takashi's, and in them she found sorrow.

"Promise?" he asked, his deep voice reverberating through her body.

She gave his hand a small, comforting squeeze, and felt a pain gnawing at her heart. "I promise," she said.

Takashi let go of her hand and she made her escape, going to the dojo to meditate and run katas to clear her mind. There were so many things she wanted to say to Takashi, and there were so many things she wanted ask him, but she didn't have any idea how to approach him. She had set up an invisible barrier since finding out her family history, and as much as she wanted to break through it, she didn't yet feel justified in doing so.

She put on her uniform and entered the dojo, bowing before stepping on deck.

"Amaya-senpai?"

She whirled around, finding the unexpected voice. It was Satoshi, of all people.

"Satoshi, I didn't even see you. I thought the dojo was empty."

"Don't mind me," he said. "We had practice in here earlier and Yasuchika told me I had to wash the floors."

"Only you?"

"Yeah, I lost a bet. Don't you normally train with Onii-sama?"

She sighed. "Yes, but not recently. Our schedules don't seem to sync up as much as they used to."

Satoshi contemplated her words for a moment, noticing the sadness in her voice. "Onii-sama doesn't really open up too much about his feelings, but he hasn't been himself lately. I thought it might have to do with the fact that he and Honey-senpai aren't attending the same University program, but you might have something to do with it, too."

"What do you mean?" Amaya asked.

"This explains quite a bit," Satoshi continued, lost in his own thought. "He thought he had misplaced a small samurai knife the other day, and spent hours looking for it, but it was on the shelf in front of his tiny figurine collection the entire time. He took the train to Karuizawa this weekend just to buy blueberry bread and donuts filled with red bean paste. We can get those here."

Amaya giggled.

"He has also asked father about whether he can learn about the family business while studying in the United States."

"I thought that he was staying at University here..." Amaya said.

"I don't know how the thought of studying abroad got to him, because when he remembered he would be separated from Honey-senpai by an ocean, he went to meditate for four hours straight. Four hours! He hasn't been thinking clearly lately, and this always happens when he is stressed about a situation."

"Hm," Amaya said, worried. She didn't like causing him stress. She and Takashi needed to talk, and soon. "Do you think I could help?"

Satoshi furrowed his brows in thought. "I'm not sure," he said, "but there's one sure-fire way to get his attention."

Amaya's interest was immediately piqued. "And that is?"

"Fight him!"

Amaya's laugh burst forth throughout the empty dojo. "Satoshi, there's no way I could win a fight with him. He's much stronger than me."

"Not with that attitude! But I promise you, if you beat him in a fight, he will one hundred percent listen to you. That's how our family and the Haninozuka family have gotten through feuds and conflicts in the past, and present, for that matter, although only we Morinozukas really care about doing it the traditional way..."

"So, the fight prefaces an emotional or stressful conversation, allowing each person to express themselves?"

"Eh, kind of...mostly the winner gets to tell the loser what to do, but I guess you don't have to do it that way."

Satoshi's words put Amaya deep into thought. Challenging Takashi would be difficult, but if she could analyze his fighting style and train specifically to counter that, she might get the upper hand. As she began to train, the thought of fighting with Takashi in a real, no-holds-barred match settled into her mind as something she had to do. She needed him to know how she felt, and she needed to know where he stood on the matter of their friendship before they parted ways. Even if their friendship came to an end, as she deeply suspected it would, she had to leave by way of respect and in a way that would suit both of them. She would reconcile her feelings with Takashi. If she could manage to do that, she could also find a way to confront her own father.

She had to win.

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you're excited about a fight between Takashi and Amaya as much as I am. Will it bring resolution? Thanks so much for the reviews, the favorites, and the follows. It has been almost a year since I started this story (which is crazy) but thank you so much for sticking through with me and giving such great encouragement.

Thanks specifically to 030artastic, pessimisticiguana, delypanda, and GrimmaulDee for the reviews. I really appreciate that you are enjoying the story and also like the writing!


	16. Chasms That Can't Be Crossed

By March, the chasm between Amaya and Takashi had grown wider. They still had not spoken privately since she was united with her mother's family, and she was beginning to grow fearful that her opportunity had passed. Amaya had set up a wall, but she didn't know who she was protecting: herself, or Takashi. Graduation was approaching rapidly, and she felt that she needed to make a move soon. She was also no closer to figuring out a strategy toward confronting her father, and as graduation neared, the pressure to act was rising. If she didn't act before her family did, Takashi would soon be totally out of her reach.

Amaya was incredibly stressed out. Between studying for final exams, learning the customs of the upper class, training on her own, performing tea ceremonies, finding time to spend with her family, and trying but failing to plan for her future, she began to neglect the Host Club. She no longer made attending the club a priority, and her friends took notice.

One afternoon at lunch, the entirety of the club's members crowded around her as she was sitting in the courtyard.

"What's going on with you?" Hikaru asked immediately, crossing his arms and cocking his head at her.

"You've completely blown us off," Kaoru added.

"You didn't show up to our New Year's party," Hikaru began, beginning to count her absences from major events, "or skiing, or horseback riding, or to the curry cook-off, you missed the treasure hunt. I'm not even sure if you met Kanoya. Not to mention, you missed Haruhi's birthday!"

Amaya sighed and set her bento box down, the perfectly cut sashimi untouched next to a mound of rice shaped like a flower. The Tokugawa hired cook was now making her lunches, and she felt self-conscious about the perfection of her meal. She would prefer things to be simple, which was true about every area of her life.

"I didn't miss Haruhi's birthday. I just didn't celebrate it with you all," she said matter-of-factly. "I've been incredibly busy."

Hikaru cut her off. "That sounds like a big fat excuse. We're all busy."

"With what?" Amaya asked, irritated. She was under the impression that the whole reason the Host Club existed was because they had too much time on their hands.

"The same things you are," Kyoya answered. "We all have final exams, outside club activities, family duties, plus the planning that goes into the Host Club, which isn't simple, by any means."

"Amaya-chan," Honey began, speaking kindly to her. "It feels like you're trying to live both the life of a commoner and the life of an elite. You don't have to work at the tea house, nor do you have to train so hard on your own. Why not hire someone to help you? We've all had tutors at some point or other."

"I've noticed that you still choose to take the bus and bike to school," Haruhi said, doing her best to be constructive. "You could just have a driver pick you up. It would save time."

Amaya knew that they were trying to be helpful, but she wanted to push back against every suggestion that they made. A life of convenience was not something that she wanted to adjust to, nor be known for. She had worked hard throughout her life for the things that she had, and suddenly being launched into privilege made her feel guilty.

"Yeah," was all she could manage to say. She looked down at her feet, ashamed at how poorly she was adapting to this new lifestyle.

"We're your friends, Amaya-senpai," Tamaki said, running his hand through his golden locks. "Friends are there for you to lean on. You don't have to be so independent all the time."

Amaya looked up, considering each and every member of the club. While she did consider them friends, she really hadn't confided in any of them, save Takashi and Honey, and even they didn't know everything about her life. Maybe it was time she ought to lean on them more.

"I just don't want to disappoint you," she said, trying her best to be truthful.

"That's stupid."

Amaya took a couple of seconds to process what Honey had just said. This was the first time she had heard his voice grow cold.

"Friends disappoint each other, and friends forgive each other. Friends are the people we can show our imperfections to, because true friends will always be there for each other. Pulling away isn't the right thing to do."

Amaya looked from face to face, realizing that all of them came to talk to her. Every single member of the Host Club was present. They all cared about her. But if push came to shove, would they really always be there for her?

"I'll start coming to the club again," she said softly, turning her attention back toward her feet. _Have I disappointed Takashi_ _?_ _Will he forgive me?_ she asked herself. Based on their interactions so far, it seemed that Takashi was okay with letting her go. She was frustrated that he hadn't yet made a move to talk with her.

As her attention was downward, she heard a few whispers before Tamaki cleared his throat loudly.

"Well, need to prepare for the afternoon's festivities! Haruhi, you need to get fitted for your costume today!" he said brashly.

"But senpai," she protested, "we haven't eaten lunch yet!"

"We've got that covered," said the twins in unison, holding out four lunch boxes prepared by the Hitachiin chefs.

"I should go over the books again and double check the attendance today," Kyoya said, opening his folder and pushing his glasses up his nose.

In an instant, all of them had disappeared, save Honey and Takashi. Amaya looked up, finding the two third years sharing a look.

"Takashi, I want to talk to Amaya-chan. I'll catch up with you later. Tell Kanazuki-chan I'll find her after class?"

Takashi nodded at his friend's request, and gave Amaya one last, long look before wandering away.

Honey sat down next to her, swinging his short legs back and forth because they couldn't touch the ground.

"Tell me the truth, Amaya-chan," he began. "What has been bothering you for so long?"

She sighed heavily, knowing that she couldn't avoid this conversation. How was Honey so perceptive? She didn't know where to begin. In her thought process, she picked up her bento box, stared at it some more, and then set it down again.

"If I'm truthful," she started, hesitating. "I'm happy I've found my family. It...it just wasn't the family I was expecting to have."

Honey eyes grew sad at her words. She continued. "There are a lot of...details..." she said, choosing her words carefully, "that aren't quite clear yet."

"About your mother and our father?" Honey asked her.

 _Our father..._ Amaya thought with apprehension. "Yes."

"Like what?"

Amaya looked away. "I want to be forthcoming, but I'm not the person that should tell you."

Honey's small hand took hers and held it firmly. She looked back at him. Staring into his eyes was like staring into a mirror, and she felt comfort in knowing that her brother was on her side.

"My family may not accept you, but I do," he said. "You are my sister, no matter what."

Amaya saw the truth of the statement in his eyes. The resolve that he had was astounding, and she found herself at a loss for words from her brother's affirmation.

"Is that all that's been bothering you?" he asked.

A surge of pain flowed up through Amaya's heart and she choked up. "No!" she exclaimed, breathing in deeply to quell the onslaught of tears. "Takashi," she managed to say.

"That's what I thought," Honey said softly, squeezing her hand in comfort.

"Honey, you will always be my brother, and that is a tie that we will always share. But I'll never be able to have the relationship that I want with Takashi while the rest of the Haninozuka family stands in my way. Takashi loves you too much to forsake his family for me. He's loyal to the Haninozukas."

"You're a Haninozuka," he said innocently, as if it was a statement of fact.

"No," Amaya said, with a laugh. "No I'm not. I'm a Tokugawa until your father recognizes me as his daughter."

"But you have Haninozuka blood," he said, a steely look in his eye. However, Amaya noticed that there was uneasiness in his voice. "You understand Takashi's position more than most people, but you underestimate his determination."

The clock began to chime, signalling the end of their lunch period. Amaya put her bento box away, wondering what Honey's words meant. From Takashi's most recent actions, she was sure that they were going to part after graduation, and she was almost convinced that forgetting him was best for both of them.

* * *

On the last meeting of the Host Club before graduation, Amaya walked into the Third Music Room to find each member dressed in traditional Chinese attire. It seemed that most everyone, including visitors, were incredibly sad about this particular day.

"I brought my favorite sweets for everyone to eat!" said Honey, and three girls sitting near him burst into tears.

Amaya took her usual seat near Takashi and immediately noticed that something was off. He was being clumsy.

He picked up his teacup and lost his grip, spilling tea on his lap. When he reached for his napkin on the table he knocked over a glass of water, which cracked into a few large shards. He sighed deeply and sat back against the couch in a huff.

Amaya looked from the glass to Takashi, growing frustrated that she didn't know what was on his mind.

"Takashi, are you okay?" she asked, reaching forward to clean up the water with her own napkin, and carefully arranging the broken glass so that she could dispose of it. He didn't answer her.

Haruhi pulled her to the side as she put the broken glass into the trash.

"I'm worried about Mori-senpai," she said. "He seems off."

"He's been busy accepting challenge letters from other students," Kyoya said. "I'm sure he's just tired."

Amaya wasn't so sure. Satoshi's words came back to her, _'He hasn't been thinking clearly, and this always happens when he's stressed.'_ As the members began chatting, Amaya tuned out, wondering if now was the best time to challenge Takashi amid the rest of the student bodies' challenges. She didn't want to wait too long, especially after Honey had hinted that something deeper was going on. The more she waited the more she was convinced that he was okay letting her go, despite what Honey or Satoshi or the rest of her friends told her. What mattered to her was what Takashi thought and what his actions were telling her, not the words of other people.

"I'm studying law."

Amaya was pulled back into the conversation when Takashi's deep voice cut through the chatter. She looked around the room at the sea of faces that were aghast at the information.

"You and Honey-senpai aren't attending the same program?" Haruhi asked.

The news didn't surprise Amaya. She had known for a while. In fact, the group had talked at the end of the summer about what the third years had wanted to study, but apparently no one had taken those things seriously at the time.

"Are you studying law, too?" someone asked. Amaya wasn't paying attention, and it took her a second to realize that the question was addressed to her.

"N...no!" she stuttered, taken aback by the question. She was surprised by the assumptions of her friends. Why should she study the same thing as Takashi? "I'm not attending University."

The faces in the room stared back at her in utter disbelief.

"Why not?" Haruhi asked.

"I want to travel," she said. "I want to see the world, and then I'll decide what I want to do. Maybe I'll go back to the States to study."

"Y-y-you're not staying with Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai?" exclaimed Tamaki, horrified.

Before she could stop the words from coming out of her mouth, she said, "There's no reason to."

She immediately saw the hurt in Honey's eyes as a result of her words. Takashi also noticed his cousin's pain. For the first time in a long time, he spoke to her, his voice gruff.

"You should apologize. You don't mean that."

He looked to Honey, concern in his eyes. Takashi was being protective, and he was protecting Honey. She hadn't truly meant her words in the way they came out, but Takashi's immediate reaction against her brought forth an avalanche of anger.

"How would you know what I mean?" she retorted. How could he know? They didn't talk, they didn't train together, they didn't study together anymore. Their friendship had all but ended, so she was pissed that he would claim to know what she meant.

"Because I know that you care about us," he said, noticing her anger and trying to defend himself.

"I wish I knew that it was reciprocated," she shot back harshly.

She saw surprise in Takashi's face, and she knew that her words were having an effect on him, but she had been hurting for a very long time and her anger was bubbling over. The words were pouring out whether she wanted them to or not. Takashi frowned, his surprise turning to disappointment.

"What do you need me to tell you?" he asked, exasperated.

Amaya's voice caught in her throat. _I need you to tell me that I matter, and that you aren't just going to let me slip away,_ she thought to herself. But, she couldn't bring herself to say this in front of an entire room of people. Things had come to a head, and it was now or never.

"Takashi," she said finally, "I challenge you to a fight."

Silence overcame the entire room at her words. Everyone paused, processing the words that had just exited her mouth. Takashi's frown became deeper, and a grave look overcame his face.

"Amaya-senpai?" Haruhi's voice came from behind her hesitantly. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm feeling fine," she said tersely, her voice cracking.

An awkwardly long silence settled over them. Amaya never removed her gaze from Takashi, but the rest of the club began to exchange glances.

"Well?" she asked, trying but failing to read any emotion in his face. "Do you accept my challenge?"

There was a pause as the rest of the group awaited his answer.

"No."

Amaya turned on her heel and walked out the door, ashamed and embarrassed, too afraid to stay and ask why his answer was no. If he refused to fight, he refused an open conversation, and to Amaya, that truly meant that he had given up on her, that he was letting her go in favor of his family. She ran down the stairs, catching herself on the banister. She felt a tight pain in her chest and whimpered, feeling like she needed to scream. She couldn't see because her eyes were full of tears, and she couldn't breathe because of the tightness in her chest. Only later, when she reflected back on that moment, did she realize that her heart was breaking.

* * *

In the days to come, Amaya avoided Takashi as much as possible. She thought that rumors about her challenge would be circulating, but they were overshadowed by two other events. First, the day after their argument, Takashi lost a karate match to a first year student. Second, he requested his own challenge, against none other than his cousin, Honey. Amaya pretended that these things didn't bother her, but she was both worried about Takashi and frustrated that he would choose to fight Honey, but not her. She grew restless for graduation to arrive.

The day before the graduation ceremony, everyone went out to the hill to watch the match between Honey and Takashi unfold. Amaya chose not to attend, deciding rather to visit her favorite places on campus one final time. She stared out the large windows of the Third Music Room, watching the growing crowd on the hill, letting the warmth of the afternoon sun pour over her. Truth be told, her time at Ouran had been magical, thanks to the Host Club and to her friends. She knew that a chapter in her life was coming to a close, and more than anything she wanted Takashi to be a part of the next one.

She wandered outside to the gardens and stood underneath the cherry trees, listening to the distant cheering coming from the fight on the hill. She wondered if these were the same trees her mother had fallen in love under, so very long ago. A thought struck Amaya. She turned sharply, looking toward the administration building. Lining the walls of the building held pictures of all of the graduates of Ouran. Her own would be placed upon the walls the following day.

Before she knew it, she was running. She pushed open the large double doors that led to the main hall of the administration building. The most recent pictures were closest to the entrance, and she scanned faces and names as she walked from frame to frame, finding prestigious family names more often than not. She kept moving down the hallway, looking for the right year and the right name.

Yorihisa Haninozuka. Her father looked so young and carefree in his photo, the weight of his future not yet resting upon his shoulders. This was the man her mother had loved.

She glanced through the names, finding two more recognizable ones.

Akira Morinozuka.

Inejiro Tokugawa.

Amaya could quickly see the resemblance of Takashi to his father. She glanced furtively through the years behind her father's graduating class, finding another familiar Morinozuka name.

Aiko Morinozuka.

Amaya was struck by how similarly Aiko's features were to Takashi's, even closer than his father's. This woman was definitely Akira's sister, Takashi's aunt. That also made her Honey's mother. She was beautiful, and had the same, dark, penetrating eyes that persisted throughout the Morinozuka line.

Another thought crossed Amaya's mind. _Kei_.

Who was Kei? The woman who had such an effect on Takashi, the woman who loved him more than life itself. The woman who appeared in Takashi's happiness, who Akira could see shining through the quiet boy that Amaya loved. Who was Takashi's mother?

She began to search photo after photo, in years ahead of and behind Akira, looking for a woman named Kei. In her searching, she lost track of time.

"Amaya-chan?"

Amaya turned, startled at the voice behind her.

"Honey!" she exclaimed, surprised to see her brother. He was still wearing his karate uniform, with Usa-chan sitting on his shoulders. He also had a large roll of paper in his hand.

"I saw you through the window. What are you doing?" he asked.

Amaya looked back to the walls of photos, reaching her hand out to touch the memories held in the frames.

"Curiosity," she said simply.

Honey walked up to the frames, finding his father's face. He considered it for a moment.

"Takashi won the fight," he said.

Amaya did a double take. "What?" She hadn't expected him to win, given what she knew about Honey's skills.

"You know he cares about you."

A pained look crossed Amaya's face. "Do I?" she wondered aloud.

"He told me I couldn't take Usa-chan to University with me, and that I had to cut down on my cake consumption." Honey paused, glancing at the huge scroll in his hands. "He also told me not to be mad at you."

Amaya sighed, feeling guilt for hurting Honey's feelings. "I'm sorry, Honey. I care about you so much."

"Then why aren't you staying?" he asked, turning to look at her with his saucer-like eyes, true sadness apparent.

She looked back to the wall, from her father's picture to Aiko's picture.

"Honey," she said softly. "I've been so wrapped up in who my family is that I've forgotten my own identity."

"I don't think that's the case," he said, walking up to the picture and giving a long look at his mother's image. "I think your identity has been challenged, not that you've forgotten it."

"She's quite beautiful," Amaya said, deflecting what Honey was saying for a moment.

"Takashi takes after her," Honey said. "If you saw her smile, you'd see that it's the same smile Takashi has."

"He certainly doesn't smile often," she mused.

"That's why it's so special when he does."

"Did Takashi's mother go here?" she asked suddenly, desperately wanting to know what she was like.

Honey giggled. "No! Kei-sama was a commoner. That's part of why Takashi's family eats so much traditional and simple food. It's what she knew how to prepare, so it's what they ate growing up."

"Is that where his love for natto came from?" she asked, smiling.

Honey made a face. "Unfortunately. It's so icky. It's not sweet enough to be palatable."

It was Amaya's turn to laugh.

After a few moments, Honey turned serious again. "He does care about you, Amaya."

Amaya felt the anger that had settled begin to stir once again. "And that's why he chose not to fight me?"

"He's navigating the same family situations you are."

"You and Takashi need to know the truth," she blurted out. She saw surprise on Honey's face, but she was unfazed. "I promised him...and I won't break my promise."

Honey saw the resolution on her face and didn't ask for clarification. They stood side-by-side, gazing upon the faces of the past, before each going their separate ways to prepare for the next day's festivities.

* * *

Amaya sat towards the back of the rows of students, waiting for her name to be called. She was staring at the back of Takashi's head, wishing she were still sitting next to him. Now, with the proper last name of Tokugawa, she was placed a few rows behind him rather than next to him, as a Matsura. As students filed across the stage, their achievements and club activities were also announced, along with their future plans. Amaya was embarrassed, as she had technically been involved in no activities and was the only student in their class not attending University right away. Both Honey and Takashi had a huge list of achievements from their three years at Ouran, and the chairman, Yuzuru Suoh, made no effort to hide his praise of the two.

"Amaya Tokugawa!"

She stood up, suddenly nervous to walk in front of an entire audience, and fully prepared to be embarrassed by her lack of achievements.

"Amaya first came as an exchange student, and is a fine example of how humble beginnings can lead to extraordinary ends. She quickly rose to become on of the top three students in her class, and has a presence in this school that can be felt by every member."

Amaya met Yuzuru's eyes. He was making her sound like an asset to the school, when she very much felt like the lone failure.

"After graduation, Amaya plans to become a world traveler before attending University." Yuzuru winked at her, and she silently thanked him while receiving her diploma. 'World traveler' sounded much better than what she had written down on the piece of paper Yuzuru was supposed to read from.

After the ceremony, Amaya joined her grandparents, Tomiju, and her uncle and aunt. They all congratulated her, but Amaya could tell that her family was uneasy.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, treading carefully. Her uncle, Inejiro, was staring off into the distance. Amaya followed his gaze and saw her father, smiling happily with Honey and Yasuchika by his side.

"That fool," Inejiro muttered under his breath. "He stands there like our presence means nothing." Anger crossed his face and he looked as if he were about to walk up to Yorihisa and call him out.

"Wait! Please," Amaya said, trying to quell her uncle's rage. "I know I haven't spoken to him yet, but I will. Just give me a little more time."

"More time?" he growled at her. "You've already had months!"

"Inejiro!" Amaya's grandfather reproached. "Now is not the time."

Amaya met his rage with as much poise as she could muster. She knew that the situation ate away at him as much as it ate away at her. "I ask for one more week."

He looked at her, wondering at her plan. "One week," he agreed. He turned away, consulting his wife.

"Not to ruin your graduation, of course," her grandmother said sarcastically. Then, with all sincerity, she added, "We are incredibly proud of you."

"Thank you," Amaya said, a smile gracing her face. "I'll see you both for dinner?"

"We have something special in store," her grandfather said, giving her a hug. "Don't be too late."

"I won't. I'll just be at the tea house, with Tomiju-sama."

As they left, Tomiju took Amaya's arm.

"Family turmoil in check?" she asked, winking at Amaya.

Amaya groaned. "It will be, someday!"

"Why don't you invite your friends over for some tea to celebrate this afternoon? I'll go to set up and I'll see you in an hour."

Amaya nodded, knowing that she needed to apologize to the Host Club for her behavior in the recent days. She spotted the group standing around, waiting for Honey and Takashi to join them.

"Hi," she said feebly as she entered the group. They all looked at her expectantly, as if they knew why she was there.

"I...uh...want to apologize," she started, "for my behavior these past couple of weeks..."

Immediately Tamaki wrapped her in a tight squeeze, almost knocking her over. She could hardly breathe. "Tamaki!" she cried.

"I knew you didn't mean what you said!"

He let go of her, and the twins popped their heads up in her face, a little too close for comfort.

"You really mean you're sorry?" Hikaru asked.

"I guess we'll accept your apology," Kaoru chimed in.

Amaya grinned. "Well, as part of my apology, can I treat you all to some tea this afternoon? I'm planning on celebrating at the tea house and I would love it if you all could join me."

The twins gave each other a questioning look, and Haruhi looked confused.

"Amaya-senpai, you're not going to the Haninozuka's?"

"Ummm..."

Haruhi clarified. "Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai are having a joint graduation party."

"Oh," Amaya said, frowning. She met Kyoya's eyes, and he raised his eyebrows in knowing expectation of her answer.

"What's going on everyone?!" Honey cried, as he and Takashi joined the group.

"Yeah," Amaya said awkwardly. "I was just informed of your graduation party."

Immediately the excitement of the two boys died. The rest of the group looked mortified, not knowing what to expect from the ensuing conversation.

Amaya pursed her lips, looking around the room and rocking back and forth on her feet. This was awkward, and was not the way she had expected the group to hear that her father was Honey's father, and that she was very definitely not welcomed in the Haninozuka household.

She finally turned to Takashi and Honey. "I'm going to let you two explain," she said. "We've graduated. It shouldn't be a secret anymore. If you don't feel like doing it, I'm sure Kyoya would be happy to step in. I'll see you all later."

Amaya turned away, irritation roiling through her. "One week..." she said to herself. She still didn't have a plan.

Once again, she found herself making her way toward the dojo. She took off her heels and stepped onto the deck, letting the comforting coolness of the wooden floors quell her frustration. She walked toward the weapons rack to grab a staff, choosing to run a kata to calm her mind. She started spinning the staff around her, feeling the skirt of her knee length eyelet lace dress whip around her with the force of the weapon. She felt more and more comfortable as she stepped into each stance-bow, horse, cat. The precision with which she was able to the control the staff made her feel confident in her abilities as a fighter and as a woman. She knew that she could take on Takashi, but apparently her conflict with him was off the battlefield.

As her kata came to an end, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, settling down into seiza position. After she regained a resting heart rate, she stood to replace the staff on the rack that it came from. A flyer caught her eye, and she pulled it off of the wall. It was the announcement for the Haninozuka tournament, asking for challengers. She frowned and ripped the paper in half as anger ripped through her core. Suddenly, an idea began to sprout in her head. She dropped the pieces of paper, running to get her shoes. She needed to talk to Tomiju, someone she could trust with her half-baked idea.

A few minutes after Amaya left the dojo, Takashi walked in. He, too, took off his shoes and stepped onto the deck, breathing in deeply. He thought he smelled cherry blossoms. In the full splendor of his suit, he stepped out into a square horse position, bringing his hands together for a salutation. Then, with a sharp exhalation, he started his own kata. His movements were clean and powerful, and inward block here, a downward block there. He envisioned his opponents coming at him, and imagined each and every one of them failing to penetrate through his blocks. Finally, he ended where he began, in a salutation. As he bowed, he noticed a torn piece of paper on the ground near a rack of staffs. He walked over and picked it up, finding that it was the announcement for the Haninozuka tournament. Frowning, he sniffed the piece of paper. _Cherry blossoms_. Only one person had worn perfume of that scent at the afternoon's ceremonies. He walked toward his shoes, carefully folding the piece of paper and placing it securely in his breast pocket. As he put on his dress shoes, he thought of the week to come and the contests it would bring. He had a plan of his own.

* * *

 **A/N:** No fight this chapter, sorry for that total psyche, but on the bright side I think that means the full story will be a chapter or two longer than it was initially planned to be. You all have been so patient-I'll do my best to have the next chapter out sooner since this one is a lot of build up. Thanks so much to the people who have followed and favorited!

Special thanks to those who left reviews: Shortie87, GrimmaulDee, Mamabug, Toreh, Amarenima Redwood, 030artistic, pessimisticiguana, and guests! I'm glad you all think I'm pulling off the story line and some of the surprises are keeping you entertained. :) Seriously, I get a whole lot of joy knowing that you are really enjoying Amaya's story.


	17. The Haninozuka Tournament

Takashi opened his eyes to the darkness of pre-dawn. He hadn't slept well that night, nor the night before. Finally, the day he had been waiting for was here. He slid on his slippers and wrapped his dark blue robe around him, making his way to the kitchen and putting water on to boil. He yawned and stretched his lanky arms above his head, cracking his knuckles from the pressure of his hands against the ceiling. Pome-chan and Piyo-chan wandered into the kitchen from their nest in his bedroom, looking as sleepy-eyed as he felt. They were both curious why Takashi was up so early.

He slid open the doors that led from the kitchen to the back porch and stepped outside into the pre-dawn chill. The sky was just beginning to lighten. The coolness refreshed him, but Pome-chan and Piyo-chan shuddered at the cold and scurried back to the warm blankets they had emerged from.

Takashi stretched his muscles as he watched the sun rise, making sure he was limber for the days activities. He retrieved a steaming hot cup of jasmine tea and sat on the back porch, his long legs hanging over the edge and reaching toward the grass.

"You're up early."

His father had a cup of his own tea, tendrils of steam rising into the air. He stepped onto the porch to watch as the sun's rays kissed the leaves of the trees.

"Did you sleep?" he asked.

"Not well," Takashi replied.

"Hm," came his father's response. He knew there was more on Takashi's mind, but didn't approach the subject. "I'll start breakfast," he said.

Takashi remained at his perch, watching the morning colors change from grey to bronze to gold as the sun rose higher into the sky. As soon as the sound of bacon was sizzling in the kitchen and the smell wafting through the house, Satoshi emerged, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"Today's the big day!" he said. "I bet you Yasuchika didn't sleep a wink last night. He always gets overly competitive at these things. I, on the other hand, slept like a baby."

"Baby's don't always sleep well," Akira replied drily. "You sure didn't when you were one."

While Takashi would normally crack a smile and pat his younger brother on the head, today he refrained. He stood, empty cup in hand, focusing wholeheartedly on the day's task. The Haninozuka Tournament was upon them, and he was determined to win.

* * *

"Are you ready?" Mitsukuni asked. He and Takashi were standing near the edge of the dojo at the Haninozuka compound. Warm sunlight was streaming in through the open doors of the dojo and competitors were signing in and warming up. Takashi's stomach was in knots. He was never this nervous before tournaments, but this one had the biggest payoff yet, and he could not afford to make any mistakes.

"As ready as I can be."

He watched as people wandered into the dojo. More people had showed up than he had expected, and he wondered which of them would be his opponents. If he made it to the end, he suspected that he would be fighting either Yasuchika or Satoshi, but he didn't want to discount the skills of the other boys. Mitsukuni hadn't entered, as it would be unfair to everyone, but he was still there to watch the competition and cheer his friends along. While many of the competitors were students from the Haninozuka dojo or from Ouran, there were quite a few faces he didn't recognize, and many same-day registrants. People from all over Japan had heard about the tournament and the best were there to try their skills. Everyone wanted to impress the Haninozuka family.

He took a glance through the spectators, who had to wait outside of the dojo due to the high number of participants. It would be interesting to see how the crowd changed as the day went on. He didn't see the other members of the Host club yet. They were most likely sleeping in and would come to see the matches later on in the day.

After a few more minutes passed, Takashi's father and Yorihisa stood to address the growing crowd.

"Welcome to the First Annual Haninozuka tournament!" Yorihisa said. There was cheering from the competitors and the spectators.

"We have a much larger group of competitors than we anticipated. We have just over 100 competitors, but only one can be crowned winner. The competition is straightforward: We assume that everyone is skilled enough to compete at a high level, therefore there are no skill-based brackets. There are also no age brackets. Everyone is placed in the same category. Pairings will be randomly called. If you win, you move forward. If you lose, you're out of the tournament.

"This tournament is to be fought Haninozuka style, meaning there is only one rule: You can't kill each other. You can, however, use close combat and weapons, and no targets are considered illegal. A match is called if a competitor cannot continue fighting, is thrown out of bounds, or gives up. We have trained medical staff on hand for injuries."

He gestured to a group of men an women wearing white shirts with red crosses.

"Finally," he said, taking a deep breath, "the grand prize. As champion, you will win a monetary prize as well as this medal..." he held up a beautifully crafted gold medal with the Haninozuka crest in enameled relief, "...which signifies that you have gained the respect of the entire Haninozuka family."

It was the sentence Takashi was waiting to hear. _The respect of the entire Haninozuka family_. While it didn't sound like much, there was a reason why that was part of the final winner's prize. He knew the full weight of that statement, and if, no, _when_ he won, he would use it to his advantage.

Yorihisa stepped down and a younger family member stepped up with a giant bowl that contained every competitor's name. He picked out names one by one, pairing competitors to fight. Each pair left with a referee and began their matches at various places around the Haninozuka compound since the dojo was too small to house all of the matches. As Takashi waited patiently, he considered how many people he would fight if he were to make it to the final. There were 108 competitors. Only 54 would move to the second round. What made it difficult was that because it was totally randomized, he could meet anyone at any point. He knew he would have a hard time if he fought either Yasuchika or Satoshi, and he could meet them in the first round, or the last round. There was no margin for error.

"Morinozuka Takashi!"

He was the 63rd name called.

"Haninozuka Ichirou!"

The 64th name, his opponent. Takashi saw Ichirou cringe. Ichirou was the first-born son of one of Yorihisa's first cousins. He was skilled at karate, but not so skilled as Takashi. Both of them knew that. Still Takashi was not about to take the challenge lightly. Any slip in focus at this point would be truly detrimental to his mission.

The two followed their referee to a grassy spot a little ways away from the dojo. The boundaries were marked off by rope, but there was still plenty of room to fight in. Mitsukuni had followed them, curious to see how his second cousin would fare against Takashi.

The match began. Ichirou charged directly at Takashi, throwing a combination. He was nervous, because it was too easy to block. Takashi moved at a 45 degree angle and skillfully dodged, ending up behind his opponent. In a second, Ichirou had turned around, pulling out a short staff. He moved it with precision, but Takashi blocked each and every shot, moving backwards as Ichirou came forwards. The staff came at him in a prodding motion, so he stepped to the side and grabbed it, yanking the staff and Ichirou forward and off balance. Instead of attacking, he put his foot out and tripped his cousin, causing him to fly forwards and onto his stomach, his body lying directly on the boundary line.

"Match, over! Winner, Morinozuka Takashi!"

Takashi reached down for Ichirou's hand and pulled him up. "Always be aware of your boundaries," he said quietly, "but nice staff work. You've been practicing."

"Yes, sir!" Ichirou's face was red with embarrassment at how short the match had been, and at the praise his opponent had just given. He shook Takashi's hand.

Mitsukuni handed Takashi a bottle of water, and he sipped on it as they made their way back to the dojo. The match had been so short that they were still pairing up names from the original 108 competitors.

Takashi sat down in a corner and began to stretch in the morning light, trying to ease the nervousness that was beginning to settle back into his bones. He knew each fight would increase in difficulty as the weaker competitors were weeded out. He watched some of the matches that were ongoing in the dojo, but his eyes were glazed over and his focus was elsewhere. Mitsukuni sat next to him, his own mind focused on something other than the tournament.

Mitsukuni wondered what Takashi was thinking, but he dared not ask lest his friend's focus be broken. He thought back to the long list on the scroll that Takashi had given him after their match before graduation. The final item on the list was a single name: Amaya. They had finally discussed his feelings for her extensively after graduation, and Takashi had shared his plan to gain permission from his family to court her. Mitsukuni hadn't know how deep Takashi's attraction to the girl ran until after their fight, and it became evident that it couldn't be ignored. However, forcing the family's hand was not likely to have a pleasant aftermath. It was the best plan they had, but Mitsukuni still wasn't comfortable with the idea of undermining his father.

He looked around the room and finally spotted a familiar face.

"Haru-chan!" he called.

Takashi lifted his head and saw Haruhi walking towards them. She was alone.

"Hi," she greeted. "Have I missed anything yet?"

"Not really," Mitsukuni responded. "Takashi won his first fight but it wasn't really that exciting. Have you seen anyone else yet?"

"No...Hikaru and Kaoru should be here soon though. I think everyone else decided to sleep in today."

"Have you heard from Amaya-chan recently?"

Takashi's ears perked up at Mitsukuni's question.

"I went to visit her at the tea house yesterday. Hikaru and Kaoru are going to stop by the tea house for breakfast this morning before they come here. Have you talked to her since graduation?" Haruhi asked.

Mitsukuni shook his head. Now that the club knew about his sister and their situation, they had agreed to check in on her throughout the week. Mitsukuni and Takashi were planning on finding her after the tournament, if the day played out as they intended. "Does she seem to be doing okay?" he asked, glancing towards Takashi.

"She's busy planning her traveling itinerary. I think she's planning on taking the entirety of the Trans-Siberian Railway before spending a few months with family friends in Germany doing some translating work. She's not sure what she'll do from there."

"I can't believe she's going all by herself," Mitsukuni said.

"Amaya can take care of herself," Takashi said, standing up. The final match was finishing up, and they would soon be calling names for the second round.

Haruhi looked at him. "Are you really just going to let her go?" she asked bluntly. "You should tell her how you feel, at the least."

Takashi was taken aback by Haruhi's keen awareness, and her direct advice. But, she didn't understand the weight of the family situation. Instead of answering her, he turned his attention to the names that were being shaken up in the large bowl up front.

There were now 54 names, and 27 would move to the next round.

His name was called 14th. He looked around to find his opponent, unlucky number 13. His name was Masaru Higa. Mitsukuni leaned toward him.

"That's a student from Okinawa..." he whispered. "He studies kyudokan."

Takashi studied his opponent, noticing that his body was lithe and muscular. He was not tall, but Takashi knew that looks could be deceiving. The Higa family ran one of the most prestigious dojos in Okinawa.

This time, the two were led by their referee to a sandy spot near the family shrine.

They took their positions and the fight began. Masaru was intentionally taking his time, starting on the defensive. Takashi began circling around his opponent, trying to draw out an attack to find an opening. He threw a few kicks toward Masaru's legs, but the boy evaded and stayed steadily in his fighting horse stance, following Takashi as he circled. Takashi took a step forward, feinting a kick, but as it landed he brought his back foot in instead and threw a back knuckle toward his opponent's head, using the length of his body to his advantage. He made contact, but it was brief, as Masaru ducked and swept Takashi's legs from under him. Takashi anticipated the move and flipped backwards using a single hand against the ground, landing back on his feet. No sooner than his head was upright again, a spinning rear heel hook was in his chest. He grunted at the impact, but held his ground and grabbed the foot that had kicked him. He tugged Masaru's leg sharply toward him, pulling the boy off balance and aiming an elbow toward Masaru's head. He was about to make impact, but just as suddenly, Masaru's head was out of the way and he was doing an impossible back bend, not only dodging Takashi's attack but also regaining his own momentum. Takashi's eyes opened wide with surprise. Masaru was strong, but his skill lay in his flexibility. The boy was practically a contortionist!

Takashi gritted his teeth as he felt a hand wrap around the back of his knee. Masaru was upside down, standing on a single hand and using the other to pull Takashi off balance. Rather than resisting, Takashi lifted his foot from the ground to plant a kick in the boy's chest, but as he did so, he accidentally kicked sand into Masaru's face. His opponent cried out, closing his eyes, but even then did not let up from his attack. Masaru planted a foot on the ground and spun, quickly driving his other leg into another spinning heel hook, the way a practitioner of capoeira might do. The foot made contact with Takashi's arms as he blocked the kick. Masaru was still fighting blind, eyes watering with the small particles of sand.

Takashi used the turn of events to his advantage, quickly driving the full force of his body into Masaru, who was still regaining his balance and fighting to see. The boys went down to the ground, and Takashi quickly fought for an armlock, putting Masaru into submission. Masaru cried out as the pressure against his elbow joint became too painful, and tapped out. The match was Takashi's.

He stood up, breathing deeply. He had broken out into a sweat, and not from the heat in the sunlight. His heart was beating more rapidly than he had expected. This match was closer than he had wanted it to be, and Takashi felt that only the accidental sand kick had given him the advantage.

He bowed to his opponent and then stalked off toward the main dojo, looking for a towel to wipe the sweat from his face.

"Mori-senpai!" Haruhi called after him. He turned, finding her running towards him with a towel in her hands. "Honey-senpai told me to give you this," she said.

"Where did Mitsukuni go?" Takashi asked.

"He left midway through your match to check on Yasuchika. He's over there."

She pointed toward a nearby grassy area, where Yasuchika was easily besting his current opponent. Mitsukuni was nowhere to be found.

"At least he said he'd be over there..." Haruhi said, confused.

"Haruhi! Mori-senpai!" came a burst of voices. Tamaki and the twins had finally arrived, with Kyoya in tow.

"Did we miss anything good?" Hikaru asked.

"So far Mori-senpai has won two matches. There are five more rounds to go until the finals," Haruhi replied.

Tamaki raised his arms up and put his hands behind his head. "I wouldn't expect anything less. You haven't had to fight Yasuchika or Satoshi yet, have you?"

"No," came the short response. Takashi could feel that he was growing anxious, especially as that last round had not gone as he had intended. He left the rest of the club members and went toward the main house, wishing to be alone. Thankfully, the Haninozuka family also knew the importance of meditation, and Takashi slipped quietly into their meditation room to regain his composure.

As he sat in seiza position, he tried to clear his mind. Time passed, and he grew still.

"Takashi? They called your name last."

Takashi opened his eyes. Of the 27 competitors moving forward, there could only be 13 pairs, and if he was called 27th, he automatically moved to the next round. He sighed audibly.

"You know, if you weren't worried about doing well, you'd most likely win the competition," Mitsukuni said.

"It's the only plan I have," Takashi said, his deep voice strained. "I have to win."

"Well, relax. I'm not leaving your side. We're in this together, you know."

Takashi turned his head and looked to his small friend, finding more comfort than he could fathom in those words.

"She cares about you, too, Takashi."

"I know," he said, after a long pause.

Mitsukuni left the room, allowing his cousin a little longer to meditate.

Takashi thought through his plan, willing himself to relax in order to complete it. _The respect of the entire Haninozuka family_. The weight of those words was incredible. After winning the tournament, Takashi would be in a position to ask, and perhaps even demand, something that would otherwise have been unthinkable. When he made it to the other side of that final fight, he would be able to request acceptance of Amaya into their family, and gain permission to court her, hopefully without repercussions from the family. If he earned it, if he fought for it, then they had to accept it. That was the way the family politics ran. He felt intense desire to bring his plan to completion. He would be able to give Amaya what she wanted, her family, and finally have the freedom to act upon his own feelings for her. He opened his eyes.

 _I must love her,_ he thought to himself, smiling wryly. This wasn't something he would do for just anyone.

He felt a twinge of guilt at the idea that she didn't know about his plan. He would never forget the look on her face when he refused her challenge. She had remained stoic, certainly, but the intense surprise in her eyes, followed by pain, as if she had been betrayed, was what haunted him. It was the look in her eyes that kept him awake at night, so he knew he had to do this right.

Takashi hadn't wanted to fight her then, because he knew that there was nothing he could say to quell her pain. They would have acknowledged their feelings for one another, and then she would have said goodbye. Takashi wasn't ready for that, and so instead of telling her that he cared, he had decided to show her by literally fighting for her. The only catch was, she didn't know it yet.

He stood up, swinging his arms left and right as he rotated his torso, trying to crack his spine. He exited the room, working his way back towards the main dojo, when he heard laughter. But, it sounded like _her_ laughter. He craned his head around, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. Two girls walked around the corner, both laughing. _I must be hallucinating_ , he thought to himself.

"Mori-senpai, are you looking for something?" Hikaru and Kaoru had found him.

"No. What was Amaya planning on doing today?" he asked, unconcerned with what the twins thought about his unorthodox question.

"This morning she wasn't at the tea house. Tomiju-sama said that Amaya was with her grandparents. They're taking a trip to Kyoto."

"Oh..." he frowned. Perhaps he was too sleep-deprived. But the truth was, he longed to see her.

The twins followed him back toward the main dojo, where names were once again being drawn from the bowl in the front. The sun was now high in the sky. The clock in the dojo boasted half past noon, and there would be a break for lunch after the next fight. Takashi looked around at the thirteen besides himself that were left. Yasuchika and Satoshi were there, along with three others who he taught in class. A handful of people were students that he recognized from dojos around Tokyo, but had never taught or taken classes with, and there were a couple competitors that he didn't even recognize. They had to be good to make it this far.

Takashi's name was called 7th. He waited to hear his opponent's name.

"Kimura Saburo!"

Takashi followed the referee not too far from the main dojo. It was the last match he would be fighting outside, as the rest could be run simultaneously inside the dojo. They were once again on grass. Takashi sized up his opponent. He had fought Saburo before, two years ago, and knew the boy's fighting style.

Takashi's body went on autopilot as the fight began. Saburo immediately pulled out a pair of nunchucks, swinging them expertly in fast circles that resembled deadly whirlwinds. After the close call in the last fight, Takashi was having none of it. As the weapons came in, he lifted his forearm and blocked, taking a blow directly to his arm but stopping the twirling weapons dead in their tracks. Takashi knew that there would be a huge bruise the next day, but he didn't even grimace from the blow. He grabbed the nunchucks with his hands and ripped them out of his opponents hands, tossing them casually outside the boundaries. Then, he moved like lightning, punching, kicking, and blocking with such speed that Saburo could hardly keep up. Before he knew it Saburo was on the ground tapping out. The referee called the match in Takashi's favor.

He stood up and turned to his audience. His friends were wide eyed and open mouthed, and Takashi suddenly felt self-conscious.

"That was brutal!" Hikaru said.

Mitsukuni was frowning. "Here," he said, supplying Takashi with a bag of ice and placing it on his forearm. Takashi began to feel his arm ache from the blow, which was starting to swell.

"It's not fractured, is it?"

"I don't think so," he replied, rotating his wrists and moving his fingers. His arm was sore, but there was no indication of a fracture or a break.

"You should let the medical team check it out over lunch. Be careful, okay?" Mitsukuni said softly.

Takashi met Mitsukuni's eyes with determination in his own. Normally, Mitsukuni didn't seem to care what Takashi did, but today the state of affairs was troubling his friend.

"Hm," he responded. He held the ice to his arm and walked toward the medical station. Yorihisa was announcing the lunch break, and Takashi overheard that the fights wouldn't reconvene for another hour.

While the medical team checked over his arm, Mitsukuni plopped down in a chair next to him.

"You're not fighting like your normal self," he said. "Usually you're more in tune with reading your opponent's style and matching their skill level. And you hardly ever take such massive hits."

"I need to win, Mitsukuni."

"Yes, but if you aren't careful you'll lose," his friend said matter-of-factly. "I've been watching the other competitors. Satoshi and Yasuchika will make it far, but there are a few other competitors who are surprisingly good, and one that I'm unfamiliar with. I've been trying to figure out his name, where he's from, and who he studies with, but no one seems to know. He might not even be from Japan."

"The rules didn't state that we had to be," Takashi said drily.

"Yes, but all I'm saying is, be careful. You may have a lot at stake with your win, but so do I."

Suddenly, it all became apparent. Mitsukuni's nervousness was not just from Takashi's health. If Takashi won and made his claim for Amaya, Mitsukuni would gain a true sister. He loved her as much as Takashi did. But, on the slight chance that Yorihisa rejected Takashi's claim, Mitsukuni would also suffer.

"I'll be more careful," he said softly. He hated not being sure of the outcome.

As the hour drew to a close, he waited for the next round of competitors to be called.

There were only seven left, and six would move on to fight while the last would automatically move to the semi-final rounds.

Once again, his name was called last. It was an unfair advantage, but Takashi would take it. It was one less match to worry about.

Instead of watching the matches, Takashi watched the crowd. He longed to see Amaya sitting among the familiar faces and wished for her support. He hoped that she could forgive him. After the next two fights, he would confront his uncle. Then, if all went well, he would meet Amaya at the tea house that evening and explain everything to her. He imagined holding her tightly, the way he should have done so many times before.

As his eyes turned back to the fights, he appraised the style of each competitor. Satoshi and Yasuchika were each holding their own against fighters he did not recognize from dojos with big names. He watched as Yasuchika went in for an intricate move, successfully bringing his opponent to the ground. A moment later, Satoshi ended his own fight, albeit more cautiously. He forced his opponent out of bounds. The third fight was between a competitor he did not recognize, with short, shaggy dark hair, and another student from Okinawa, another member of the Higa family. They were more evenly matched, but the boy with shaggy hair bested the Okinawan student after taking him to the ground in a judo style hip throw.

Four left.

During a short break, the club members gathered around Takashi.

"Who's that?" asked Tamaki, pointing to the shaggy haired boy.

"I'm not sure," Mitsukuni responded. "I already asked but it seems like he's a same-day registrant and doesn't really talk much, so we don't know who he studies with. He's really good, but I don't think he's going to make it to the finals. Not with Takashi, Satoshi, and Chika-chan in the mix."

Takashi breathed in heavily, glancing outside at the sun that was beginning to wane through the sky. It was still early in the afternoon, but he was getting anxious for the tournament to be over. Although he felt confident going into the semi-final rounds, he was growing tired of the constant nervousness and anxiety that betrayed his focus.

"Morinozuka Takashi!"

His name was first in the line up.

"Morinozuka Satoshi!"

He would face his brother. That meant that he had a good chance of seeing Yasuchika in the final match.

In the semi-finals, the matches would be fought one-by-one. Takashi squared off against his younger brother.

They began in close combat, each striking and blocking the other. Every time Takashi used the forearm that had been smashed with the nunchucks in the previous round to block, he felt the bruising worsen. Satoshi took a step back and jumped into the air, subtly pulling out a set of three throwing knives and launching them toward Takashi. Takashi smiled ever so slightly, recognizing the blades as his birthday gift to Satoshi the previous year. He ducked, missing one of the blades, while twisting his body quickly to evade the other two. All the while he reached out his long limbs to catch each blade. As he regained his fighting stance, he charged back at Satoshi, using the three blades to slice. Satoshi jumped to the side, but not before the blades left long rips in his uniform. He swore loudly, and came back at Takashi with even more fervor.

Takashi dropped the blades out of bounds and met his brother's attacks head on. He underestimated the strength that his brother had, and found himself being lifted and slammed into the ground, wind knocked out of his chest. As Satoshi came down for a pin, Takashi rolled out of the way, pulling out a small, antique samurai knife and unsheathing it quickly. Satoshi was on top of him again in a second, but Takashi pushed him off, slamming the sharp blade into the ground. He stood up quickly, beckoning Satoshi to join him again on their feet. Satoshi tried to stand, but found the samurai knife deeply wedged into the the floor of the dojo, with the extra baggy fabric of his pants securely tightened to the floor. He began to stand, but a subtle rip was heard throughout the dojo, and Satoshi immediately sat back down. He grabbed the knife and pulled as hard as he could, but he could not get the knife out of the floor.

Takashi had pinned Satoshi in such a way that to get out of the situation, he either had to rip his pants or slide them off altogether, revealing his underwear underneath. Neither was ideal, and Satoshi turned red with embarrassment. After trying but failing to remove the knife, he finally said, "I yield! I yield!"

His older brother stepped closer to him and with a single yank he freed the knife from the floor. Satoshi had lost. He huffed angrily, mad that he hadn't worn an extra pair of shorts underneath his uniform that day.

Meanwhile, Takashi delicately handled the blade, inspecting it for damage - it was the same one that Amaya had given to him after her trip on the Nakasendo Trail. He gingerly sheathed the blade and stored it in one of the hidden pockets of his uniform.

Both brothers stepped aside and took seats as Yasuchika and his opponent made their way to the floor.

Takashi watched the beginning of the match without really seeing it. He was growing agitated for the matches to be over, because the nervousness of facing his uncle with his request was starting to gnaw at him. Overshadowing that feeling was the nervousness he would feel when he finally faced Amaya, the girl that came out of nowhere to steal his heart. He looked up at the roof of the dojo, tracing the designs with his eyes. He wondered what Amaya's mother had been like, and what she had done to make Yorihisa hate Amaya so much.

He glanced back to the match, then at the clock on the wall. In his mindless thought, twenty minutes had passed, and Yasuchika and his competitor were still fighting.

"What's his name?" Takashi whispered to Mitsukuni, who was frowning while furiously analyzing the match in his head.

"Raiden something-or-other," Mitsukuni responsed. "His last name wasn't noteworthy so I didn't remember it. I didn't think he'd fare this well against Chika-chan."

"The name suits him." Certainly, the boy was strong and incredibly fast, like thunder and lightning. Takashi began watching with more interest.

Both boys were sweating profusely by this time, although Raiden looked a little worse for wear. Still, neither competitor was able to get a clear shot at the other. There were weapons strewn throughout the perimeter of the boundary: a half staff, kunai, shuriken, even a pair of bladed fans. Even now, Raiden had a short knife that he expertly moved. Takashi noticed that he wasn't aiming for any deadly shots, just trying to throw Yasuchika off guard. As the blade came forward, Yasuchika stepped out of the way and placed a well-aimed karate chop just above Raiden's wrist, hitting a pressure point and causing Raiden to drop the blade. The newcomer hesitated for a split second, sucking in a breath of air, and Yasuchika used that to his advantage, pulling the boy into a head lock. Takashi stood up in anticipation. A move like this would end the match.

Raiden's head was turned slightly toward Yasuchika's elbow. He was desperately trying to create room for his windpipe. Even now, his hands were digging into Yasuchika's arms, trying to make more room to breathe. After a few moments, Raiden's face began to turn blue as he struggled and refused to tap out. Both opponents were taking this to the bitter end. Raiden's hands started going limp. Yasuchika knew the match was over, and began to loosen his grip. As he did so, Raiden jerked his head to suck in a huge breath and seemingly reanimated, getting his legs under him, and throwing Yasuchika over his head and to the ground in a move that showed strength of will but that lacked grace.

"No!" Mitsukuni yelled, popping up out of his seat next to Takashi.

"He faked his own knockout..." Satoshi said in awe, speaking about Raiden.

It was a crafty move, certainly. Takashi watched as the two boys struggled on the ground. The surprise attack had given Raiden the upper hand. He reached over and grabbed his knife off the ground, keeping Yasuchika's arms pinned with his knees. He put the knife against Yasuchika's throat. Takashi watched the anger in Yasuchika's face turn to panic, and finally resolve, as he realized he had been bested by the newcomer. After a few seconds, he yielded.

Raiden dropped the knife and stood, breathing deeply to catch his breath. He took his hand and rubbed his neck where the pressure of Yasuchika's headlock had been greatest. Takashi noticed bruises lining the boy's forearms. This would be his next opponent.

The boy flagged the referee, asking a quiet question. The referee in turn walked toward Yorihisa, whispering something into his ear. Takashi's uncle shook his head with a firm "no." He stood up to make an announcement.

"The next and final match, between Morinozuka Takashi and Watanabe Raiden will commence in five minutes."

Takashi watched as Raiden's eyes went wide, then he scoffed and stalked toward a corner where he took a large gulp out of a water bottle. A five minute turn around gave him little time to rest, and Takashi felt guilty that this next match was beginning on uneven footing. His opponent had been fighting the entire day, while he had rested for two entire fight series. Still, Takashi was not about to go easy on his opponent. Not with Amaya at stake.

They bowed toward each other on the deck and the referee called the beginning of the match. Raiden began on the defensive, spending as much time regaining his strength as he could. Takashi knew that the boy was tired, and so he began with a full on attack with the aim of tiring his opponent out. Every punch, kick, back knuckle, and combination he threw was expertly blocked, but even then Takashi could tell by his opponent's stamina was running low. Raiden's eyes had a distant look in them, and the boy was grunting with each impact.

Takashi threw a wheel kick toward Raiden's head, but the boy lifted both of his arms to block it. It was a heavy impact, and Takashi saw his opponent grimace. Immediately, however, Raiden grabbed Takashi's leg and in a huge show of force pulled him off balance.

Before he knew it, the short knife Raiden used against Yasuchika was coming straight for him. He landed on the ground, but was able to roll out of the way and onto his back before the blade struck him. Raiden was quickly back on his feet and turned again, swinging the knife at him from above. Still on his back, Takashi performed an X-block, blocking a blow from the knife. He regrabbed the wrist of the hand that held the knife, then used his long reach to grab Raiden's head. Stretching Raiden's arm out, Takashi turned over and pinned the boy's head against the floor, wrestling the knife out of his hand at the same time. Raiden's free hands grabbed the wrist that held his head to the floor. He rocked his entire body, grappling with Takashi and gaining freedom from his grasp before quickly jumping back up to his feet.

Takashi was up quickly as well, and continued to fight on offense. However, now, Raiden was matching him blow for blow. Where the boy had been tired before, he was now fighting with more vigor. Takashi knew he needed to end it. He threw a combination but feinted. Raiden blocked as Takashi expected him to, and it left the boys head open for a blow. Takashi aimed a spinning rear back knuckle, and his fist made contact with the side of Raiden's head.

It wasn't a perfect hit, but Raiden's knees buckled at the impact. Even so, he did not fall. Raiden's right eye was closed near where Takashi's fist had made an impact. Takashi went in for a final blow of his combination, a left hand punch, taking advantage of the moment his opponent was in pain. Just as he expected to make contact, Raiden's body moved, causing Takashi to miss. The boy whipped with great speed around and grabbed Takashi's arm, using his momentum against him and throwing him forward. Takashi landed with a 'thud' on the ground. He flipped onto his back, expecting his opponent to be on top of him any second, but all he saw was Raiden standing in front of him, doing nothing but holding his hand over his right eye.

Takashi began scrambling to stand, but before he could get up, the referee stepped onto the arena area.

"Winner: Watanabe Raiden, by throwing opponent out of bounds."

Takashi's eyes opened wide in surprise and horror. He looked to his left, then to his right. He had fallen on top of the boundary line, disqualifying him from the fight.

His heart beat erratically, and his face turned red with embarrassment and shame. This couldn't be the end!

He lifted his head, looking angrily at his opponent, who was still fussing with his right eye. He was rubbing it, as if dust or some other thing was stuck in it. As Raiden pulled his hand away, he was holding something in his fingers. The boy looked up, directly into Takashi's own eyes. Takashi's felt his anger dissipate. There was a tightness in his chest, and he couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. All he could do was look at the eyes that were gazing into his own.

Raiden's contact had been knocked loose during Takashi's final attack. Two different colored eyes stared back at Takashi, one dark, where the contact remained, and one light and golden, where the contact had fallen out. He could see her.

Her long, beautiful hair had been chopped impossibly short, and the contacts in her eyes gave her almost completely different features. Takashi grimaced...the skin around her right eye was starting to turn purple with bruising. That was his fault. He looked at her arms. They were covered in bruises as well. She looked terrible. And beautiful. And she had defeated him.

Takashi was in shock, in awe, in horror, in anger, in all sorts of emotions he couldn't process. He could hardly think.

"Morinozuka-san, are you going to stand?"

Takashi barely registered the words of the referee, but he managed to get himself up off of the ground and bow to Amaya, showing respect and formally finishing the match.

"We have a winner!" Declared the referee. "Watanabe Raiden!"

The crowd around the dojo cheered. Amaya removed her second contact. Takashi glanced to Mitsukuni, who, from his vantage point, could not recognize Amaya. Mitsukuni's face showed great concern.

Yorihisa stood up from his seating point and quieted the crowd.

"It is a great honor for us when someone who has not been a part of our dojo wins against our own." He stood up with the medal, ready to bestow it upon the victor. "Is there anything you'd like to say?" he asked.

Amaya turned to look him directly in the eye, and spoke for the first time that day. Her voice rang out loud and clear for the entire dojo to hear.

"I would like to request a private audience with you, your sons, Morinozuka-sama, and his sons."

Takashi was still looking at Mitsukuni when she spoke, so he missed Yorihisa's reaction. He did, however, hear the loud clang of the medallion as it hit the floor.

Mitsukuni's eyes never left Takashi's, but as soon as he heard Amaya's voice, his face filled with awe. He smiled sadly at Takashi, and they both marveled in the boldness of this girl who had stolen both of their hearts.

* * *

 **A/N:** Oh my word. This one took forever. I had about half of it written the last time I posted, but the battle scenes and the wrap up kept me procrastinating...so once again I apologize for that. Thank you so much for those who have stuck with this story despite my irregular updating, as well as the new people who have found it. I appreciate all the comments, the corrections, and the encouragement. The readership here at fanfiction is amazing.

SO. A huge shoutout to those who left reviews on the last chapter: Airedhiella, Mamabug, StargladesTime, The Stitched Ninja, germanwinter, Nightscarlett, Irissiell (thanks so much for pointing out the mixup with the schools...I've since fixed that), littlesunhikari, Enecs, Amarenima Redwood, rezgurnk, and guests!

I stick by what I say...I don't want to leave this unfinished. So I WILL finish it, but bear with me. I still have things in store, so I hope you will continue to enjoy it, however slow the chapters may come.

EDIT: Figured I would add a couple extra notes. I knew from the beginning that Amaya would have a gender bending moment...with so many great moments in the Ouran canon there was no way not to, and I'm glad it has been a surprise to those of you who have reviewed so far. I didn't want to foreshadow it too much, because I think it takes away from Takashi's perspective. Also, this was a good way to sneak in her rematch against Yasuchika. She's finally trained enough to match him, but I still wanted it to be a close match.


	18. The Aftermath, Part I

Amaya almost smirked at the look on her father's face. Almost. She reached down to pick up the ornate medal that had dropped on the floor, running her fingers over the immaculate detailing of the Haninozuka crest. It was cold and heavy. _Fitting_ , she thought.

"Here," she said, giving it back to him. He just stood there with hands outstretched, frozen, so she draped the ribbon that held the medal over his hands. He blinked, but didn't say a word.

Amaya took a quick moment to glance toward Akira. He was solemn, standing like a guard with his eyes set straight forward. His face did not betray his thoughts. It was this stoic look that made her question for a split second whether she had made the right decision, and her heart caught in her chest.

 _Did I take too much of a risk?_

Yorihisa could refuse to give her the medal. She had technically entered the tournament illegally, but she had also beaten both Yasuchika and Takashi. That _had_ to impress him, if he could be impressed at all.

 _Takashi_. That look on his face when he recognized her said everything. For once, his guard had dropped and his normally subtle eyes betrayed his every emotion. He was angry at first, but then she saw confusion, hurt, awe, and finally...tenderness. It was that last tender look in his eyes that she couldn't get out of her head. It was new. She knew his caring look, his concerned look, both of those were familiar to her. But neither of those was quite like this tenderness that almost made her knees buckle and her heart melt.

Amaya wondered if he knew how she had beaten him. The last combination he used was one she had watched him win fights with dozens of times. His power was maximized by the length of his limbs, and she had never once seen him miss that last left handed strike. That is, until today. She knew it was coming after his back knuckle slammed into her temple, knocking her contact loose. It was a near hit - if it had made perfect contact she would have been knocked out. But it hadn't. That was the moment she knew the fight was hers.

 _I wonder what he thinks of my hair?_ she thought grimly, before mentally kicking herself for being so vain. Now was not the time to be concerned about her appearance.

She returned her gaze to her father's face. His eyes were wavering and it was clear he was making a difficult choice. Amaya looked left and right around the dojo, scrutinizing the faces of the spectators. They were all waiting with abated breath. _How much time has passed?_

Yorihisa spoke, addressing the crowd. "Our champion, Watanabe Raiden, has requested a private audience, and shall be obliged."

The short statement was met with applause, and Yorihisa draped the medal around her neck. It was clear that not many people in the audience knew that she was a girl, despite her voice. _And so this, too, gets covered up,_ Amaya thought to herself ruefully.

As people filed out of the dojo recapping their favorite moments of the fights to one another, many competitors came up to congratulate her. No one commented on her change in eye color, if they even noticed.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around.

"Amaya-senpai! What are you doing?" came a frantic whisper. It was Haruhi.

"You're supposed to be in Kyoto, with your grandparents!" whispered the twins simultaneously, popping up from behind Haruhi's shoulders.

"What did you do to your beautiful hair?!" screeched Tamaki, a little too loudly for Amaya's liking.

"Shhhh!" she said. "Tomiju-sama cut it. She can keep a great secret, can't she?"

"I'm making an appointment for you with my hairdresser tomorrow. No arguments." Tamaki pulled out his cell phone and immediately started dialing a number.

"This is...unexpected," Kyoya said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I suppose you needed a reason to speak with your father?"

"Sometimes I honestly think you're a robot that has mind reading abilities," Amaya grumbled. "If you would all be so kind..." she trailed off as Honey and Takashi joined them.

"I'll tell you everything. Tomorrow," she said. Then, after a piercing glare from Tamaki, she added quickly, "after my hair appointment."

The host club members were the last to leave the dojo, and finally Amaya was alone with the people who mattered most. She turned toward the six that were left, sighing heavily. She removed the medal from around her neck, grimacing as the weight lifted from the sore areas where Yasuchika had held her in a headlock.

"Here," she said. "I don't deserve this. I broke the rules, I entered the tournament, and I realize that my claim is forfeit. I fought to get here to have a private conversation, not to win your money. I only have one thing to ask of you."

She held out the medal in her hand, offering it back. She dared not look to Takashi, lest his face make her forget why she came.

Her father's brows were furrowed. "No," he said, after a long pause. "You fought well, albeit a little unorthodox. Besting Takashi, let alone my son, is a great feat. You have earned my respect, and the medal is yours." She felt he spoke a little begrudgingly.

Amaya drew her hand back in, noticing how the enameled crest shimmered in the light of the late afternoon sun. She took the time to find every person's face in the room. Honey, Takashi, and Satoshi looked confused, while Yasuchika was brooding quietly. Akira maintained the stoic look on his face, not betraying a single emotion, and her father looked despondent.

"What is it you have to ask?" he said softly.

She met her father's eyes, anxiety clear on her face. "I don't wish to force your answer," she said, prefacing her request. "All I ask is that you tell them the truth."

At her words, Akira's brows furrowed. It seemed an odd thing to ask, but Amaya knew her father understood perfectly.

"What can the truth do but hurt? It hurt then, and it will hurt now," her father responded, as if to himself.

Amaya's eyes fell to her feet. She hadn't expected her father to be so compliant, to look so defeated. She didn't like the feeling of guilt that welled up inside of her, guilt at knowing that her father, the great Yorihisa Haninozuka, was feeling pain because of her truth.

"The truth can reconcile things," she said softly. She glanced up quickly, finding her father's eyes. "My uncle..." she trailed off. She spoke more quickly. "They blame you for my mother's disappearance, and nothing I can say will make any difference. The only thing I've been able to do is buy time before they publicly act against the Haninozuka family."

Her words were met with silence.

"We should relocate to the main house," Akira said. "I apologize, Amaya, but I should speak with Yorihisa alone before-"

"No," Yorihisa said, cutting off his friend. "This has gone too far. I will not allow our families to be torn apart by yet another surprise."

Amaya's stomach dropped. Yorihisa was speaking to Akira...about the Morinozuka family. It dawned on her that this truth was bigger than she had ever imagined, and that perhaps she didn't even know the entire story.

"What do you mean?" asked Honey.

Akira sighed heavily. "There's quite a lot you don't know about our families and this particular situation," he said, giving a slight nod toward Amaya.

"You said that nothing was hidden from us when we came of age to attend the family meetings," Takashi said.

"We thought we had this particular case under control," Yorihisa replied, giving Amaya a grimace. "There was no need to involve you four, but it doesn't look like this will resolve itself on its own.

"There's a long evening ahead of us," he continued. "Get yourselves cleaned up," he said, looking at Takashi, Satoshi, Yasuchika, and Amaya. "When you're comfortable, we'll reconvene in the great room."

Yorihisa, Akira, and most of the boys left the dojo, but Takashi lingered. Honey turned at the door and gave them one last troubled look before disappearing. As soon as the dojo was empty of people, Takashi swiftly stepped toward Amaya. He took her chin in his hand and gave her a look over. She was exhausted, and could only stare up at him, her heart pounding in her chest. She could hardly do anything to control it. He turned her head, examining her budding black eye, then tilted her chin up to look at the bruising around her neck. He ran his thumb over her cheek, and Amaya saw that tender look return to his face. Her mind went numb and her breathing shallowed as he leaned in toward her.

 _This...is an awkward time for our first kiss_ , she thought. She closed her eyes, wondering what it would feel like. After a few moments, when nothing happened, she opened them again. He wasn't even looking at her, but was scrutinizing her haircut.

"It's uneven on the left, your right," he said, before releasing her. "Come on."

Amaya disappointedly followed him out of the dojo and into the main house. She noticed how lavish the place was compared to the Morinozuka household, but she hardly had the energy to marvel. Takashi led her to Honey's room, where he grabbed a bag from the corner and started rummaging through it. Amaya could only look at the bed: it was large and covered with fluffy stuffed animals. She was feeling the aches in her bones and muscles, and all she wanted to do was lay down, smother herself with the fluff, and sleep for at least a week.

"Here," he said, pushing a bundle of clothes and a towel into her hands. "There is a guest bathroom down the hall and to the right."

Amaya complied with his implicit request. She found herself moving as if on auto-pilot, finding the bathroom, turning on the shower faucet, and watching tendrils of steam rise into the air. Her uniform was stiff with dried sweat, and as she removed it she stared at herself in the mirror, hardly recognizing the girl with the short hair staring back at her. It was, indeed, slightly uneven, but she wouldn't have noticed if Takashi hadn't said anything. She took off her shirt and then began removing the restrictive bandage she had used to wrap her chest. She peeled it off and stepped into the hot stream of water, letting the heat rinse away her anxiety for a quick moment.

Under the constant stream of water, she could feel every cut and bruise, realizing for the first time just how far she had pushed her body. She lathered soap and rinsed away the grimy sweat, wondering what her father was going to say. She still didn't feel like his daughter, and didn't expect to be welcomed into the family, but he was acting so resigned that it scared her.

She turned off the water, stepped out of the shower and dried off. She picked up the clean clothes that Takashi had given her, pressing them to her face. The scent of green tea and cedar overwhelmed her. She rummaged around in her own small bag, thankful to have at least brought a clean sports bra, only because she knew she didn't want to travel home with that bandage around her chest at the end of the tournament. She put on Takashi's clothes. He had given her a sleeveless black tee and a pair of sweats, obviously what he thought he'd be wearing after the tournament. She had to roll up the pant legs quite a bit, and the clothing was a little baggy on her, but she was comfortable.

Amaya sighed to herself, then made her way back to Honey's room. The door was cracked, but nevertheless she knocked quietly.

"Come in," she heard Takashi's deep voice say.

She pushed open the door a little wider to find Takashi wearing a pair of sweatpants and nothing else. His hair was wet from showering and his chest glistened like warm dew. She immediately blushed. She saw the massive bruises that were appearing on his arms, as well as a few green and brown spots on his ribs. He was in the process of applying some sort of salve on them. In another minute he had pulled a soft, long-sleeved shirt over his head. Then, he beckoned to her.

"This will help with the soreness," he said, taking some of the salve and applying it to the bruises on her forearms and her neck. It smelled strongly of camphor, but was soothing to her aches. Takashi was still taking care of her.

"Thank you," she whispered. She grabbed his hand to stop him from treating her bruises and looked at him squarely in the eye. "I'm sorry," she said ernestly.

He met her eyes, but didn't respond. Instead, he pulled away from her hand and continued rubbing the mixture into her skin. "You're fulfilling your promise," he said, his voice low and soft.

"Let's go," he said, letting go of her arm and starting for the door.

"I'm scared," she said, reluctant to follow him. The strength and confidence she had felt during the tournament was gone, and now she just felt weak, fragile, and broken.

Takashi stopped walking and turned to look at her. In two large steps he was back at her side, pulling her into an embrace.

"Me, too," he admitted, stroking the back of her head, pushing his fingers through her short, damp hair.

She followed him out of the spacious room and down the hallway, across an ornate main entryway and into a large living space. The room was filled with plush couches and armchairs, complete with a large fireplace and a chandelier that matched the moulding on the ceiling. Large, gilded frames with art from European masters lined the walls. It was very western. She noticed the sun making its way down on the horizon through the large windows. It was probably past dinner time. The rest of the family must have thought the same thing, as a tray of food was set out in the middle of the room. Everyone else was already there, and when they entered Akira pushed hot cups of tea into their hands. She wasn't feeling very hungry, and instead curled up in a large armchair across from Takashi. She smelled the tea, recognizing Kei's blend. The corners of her lips turned up, and when she searched to find Takashi's eyes, she noticed his were, too.

Yasuchika and Satoshi plopped themselves onto a large couch, while Honey began crosslegged on the floor. Akira took a seat in a recliner closest to the fireplace, but Yorihisa remained pacing around the room.

"You want the truth," he said. "I made a promise long ago that I would never tell this story, but it seems that this particular promise is hurting too many people."

"Who did you promise?" Amaya wondered aloud.

"I promised my wife, Aiko."

Amaya noticed Akira's eyes open wide with surprise. _So this story will hold new things for all of us,_ she thought ruefully.

Yorihisa took his hands and began massaging his temples. "I suppose I should start from the beginning.

"Akira and I were born in a time when the Haninozuka family was rising politically. Our families have always held power, but our status was only a step below royalty, if you can imagine. Our right hand family was, is, and will always be the Morinozukas. They have given us unwavering support since time began, as the ancient story goes. Therefore, it is unsurprising that Akira and I were inseparable from birth, similar to our sons. Our futures were decided early, as was tradition for many years. However, because the Haninozuka family was gaining political power, I had a much stricter childhood than Akira.

"In elementary school, we were strategically placed in the same after school programs as a boy by the name of Inejiro Tokugawa. Akira and I liked him because he was fiercely competitive in sports, but only later did we realize that the friendship was meant by our parents as a political move. Regardless of these motives, he became a close friend by middle school, to both of us. One of the reasons we liked him so much was because he would often challenge us to competitions. These things kept us on our toes, and also widened our interests beyond karate and kendo.

"By the time we reached high school, the three of us were enrolled at Ouran together. It was in this period that Akira fell in love with a girl." He paused, smiling at his best friend. "He met her on summer vacation in Karuizawa. Her family owned a tea farm near Mount Fuji, and they sold their tea over the summers during local farmers markets."

"I didn't know that was how you met mom," Satoshi said, looking at his father.

"Technically, Aiko met her first. They became friends and she brought Kei to the family vacation home to have dinner with us. She made us tea, and I remember how impressed I was with her flawless perfection," Akira said.

Yorihisa gave him a snapping side eye. " _I_ remember how impressed you were with her flawless complexion!"

A sheepish grin grew across Akira's face. "Yes, well, Kei was flawless in a lot of ways."

Yorihisa smiled. "Akira was smitten. Obviously. He spent the next year writing letters to this girl who didn't even live in Tokyo. She would come to visit Aiko, and during those periods I wouldn't see Akira at all. I knew he would marry her, against his parents wishes, I might add." His smile fell. "It was always clear that I, on the other hand, would have a strictly arranged marriage. There was too much at stake for the future of our family to let me marry for love."

Yorihisa gave a furtive glance to Akira. "In the times I didn't see Akira, I was always with Inejiro, for more reasons than just his friendship. I, too, was smitten with a girl by that time. His sister, Kazunomiya." He hesitated before his next words. "Lucky for me, my parents thought she would be an excellent match."

He paused, and the silence in the room was palpable. Yorihisa addressed Akira. "My first regret is that I didn't confide in you," he said quietly. "It was no secret that I loved her, but the betrothal was formed with complete confidentiality. There were too many other families vying for her to marry their sons."

Amaya's eyes flitted from Yorihisa to Akira. _The proposal was a secret, even from Akira-sama?_

"Why did the Tokugawa family accept your proposal, if there were so many options?" Honey asked. He was desperately trying to make sense of the situation without losing deference for his father.

Yorihisa stopped pacing and sat down slowly in a chair near his eldest son. "Because she loved me, too." He let the silence in the room permeate before continuing.

"By the time we graduated from Ouran, I was betrothed, but not to your mother. My bride to be was Kazunomiya. Politically, it would have been an excellent match."

"Would have been," Akira said, brows furrowed in frustration. "But you were only married once, to Aiko. Kazunomiya disappeared before she graduated. _That_ made the news. Inejiro was beside himself."

"Yes," Yorihisa confirmed. "Our marriage was to be announced upon her graduation from Lobelia, but she ran away. She ran away from me. _"_

 _"_ What did you do to her?" Yasuchika asked.

"Nothing," Amaya said, answering for her father. Her eyes glazed over, the great room gone from view. She was a child again, almost five, living with her mother in their first home: a small, one bedroom apartment above the restaurant where her mother worked in Japantown, the heart of San Francisco. Amaya had just come from visiting a friend's home, and she complained about their small apartment, about the food that they ate, about her second-hand clothes. Her mother had reprimanded her, saying, 'It could be worse. Be thankful that you have your freedom.' But that evening, when Amaya went to apologize for her words, she had found her mother in tears. 'Why are you crying?' Amaya had asked her. 'Loneliness,' Kazu had said. 'They never tell you how lonely freedom is.' Amaya had given her mother the biggest bear hug she could muster as a five year old. 'Don't be lonely, you have me,' she said. Kazu had smiled at that. 'I wouldn't trade you for the world.'

Amaya blinked, back in the present. "Mama didn't run from you," she said in English, before switching back to Japanese. "She left for her freedom. She ran from the obligations of this life. She wanted to taste what life was, out there, not confined to the comforts and responsibilities of the upper class. But," she said to her father, "she must have loved you fiercely. She never spoke of what her life was like before I was born, but she was missing something. Someone. That much was obvious to me."

Silence once again settled throughout the corners of the room. Finally, Yasuchika broke it with the question they had all been thinking.

"So, if she ran away, how did you get her pregnant?"

Yorihisa turned a bright shade of red at his son's question. He cleared his throat loudly, continuing with his story rather than answering the question. "The Tokugawas searched everywhere for her, but she was nowhere to be found. I felt betrayed, and our family felt slighted. The betrothal was still a secret, only immediate family members knew the details. However, much of the extended family had already guessed that I was engaged, just not to who. It was only rumored that the marriage would be a powerful one. To quell the impending disappointment of the family, a second marriage was quickly arranged, with Aiko, and no one ever knew about Kazu."

"That doesn't answer Chika-chan's question," Honey said. "Was she pregnant when she ran away?"

"That doesn't make sense with our timeline, Mitsukuni," Takashi broke in, his deep tone reverberating throughout the room. "Amaya would be older than us if that were true."

Yorihisa looked at Akira and sighed. "Aiko and I had trouble in the early days of our marriage. She knew I didn't love her, not the way I should have. But she felt such compassion for me. I didn't tell her about Kazu until much later, a second action that I immensely regret. To soften the shock of a sudden marriage, she often asked me to come with her on walks or trips so that we could spend time in each other's company. One day, she dragged me to the middle of nowhere, Tokyo, to a commoner's tea house, saying she had found a hole in the wall place with Kei that served a wonderful traditional tea. I walked in and saw Kazu waiting tables. Her long hair had been cut short and she was virtually unrecognizable, but I would know that face anywhere. I was shocked she would be doing something so beneath her, and that she had disappeared right under our noses. I was immediately filled with anger, but when Kazu saw me, I saw regret in her eyes. I knew she still loved me at that point. But, there was nothing I could say to her in front of Aiko.

"A few days later, a rainstorm hit Tokyo. All I could think about was Kazu. I went to the tea house late that night in the middle of the storm, furious at Kazu for leaving me without even saying goodbye. Miraculously, she was there alone, and she let me in. I was soaking wet and angry, a sight to behold. I was only there to have a conversation, but she made me a cup of tea and calmed me. I stayed with her that night."

"That's all it took?! A cup of tea?" Yasuchika was fuming. Yorihisa's face turned bright red.

"Amongst other things," he said defensively. "You'll understand when you fall in love, and you'd be surprised what a cup of tea can do to a man." Quietly he added, "I don't regret loving Kazu, but I do regret my actions that night."

"But you were married to mom! You were supposed to be in love with mom! How dare you?!" Yasuchika yelled, hot tears running down his cheeks.

Amaya suddenly felt cold. Goosebumps prickled up on her arms. The room was charged with emotion. It was tangible, suffocating.

Yorihisa sighed heavily. "Love is not something that forms instantaneously. My relationship with Kazu had been built over years, and I was too young to realize how much damage I was doing." He gave Amaya a slight glare. "The damage was never supposed to spread this far. I did come to love Aiko, fervently. She is the only woman who I will ever be able to call my wife."

Amaya felt a massive exhaustion fall over her, and she withered under Yorihisa's glare.

"Was that the only night you visited her?" Takashi asked, noticing the subtle exchange and attempting to lift the tension.

"...No..." admitted Yorihisa. "But that was the only night I stayed with her. After that I only ever went when the tea house was open, to have a cup of tea and to watch her." He paused, thinking back on the memories. "I went every evening that it rained."

Amaya's eyes opened wide. "That's why..."

"She named you 'Amaya,' yes. We found out she was pregnant not long after that."

Yorihisa paused, hesitating, as if he was about to say more. Amaya filled the silence.

"So what did you do?" she asked. "Why did she leave, and why did you both pretend that none of this ever happened?"

"Another worker at the tea house leaked our affair. I became afraid Aiko would leave me and our families would split apart. Kazu was afraid of being sent home to her own family. I told Aiko everything, and Kazu left the country."

Silence overcame the room, again.

"That's it?" Amaya asked, eyes unfocused, gazing at a random spot on the floor.

Yorihisa nodded. "Aiko helped me cover up the affair, to spin it into rumors and lies, and in return I would never try to contact Kazu, or you. I didn't even know your gender until Takashi brought you in, thinking you were defacing our family shrine. Contact would have been too dangerous for our families. I promised Aiko that I would never tell a soul.

"When you appeared that first day, I acknowledged you were my daughter...what else could I do? The resemblance is too uncanny. But I kept my promise about the details of that affair, for Aiko's sake, until now."

His facial features turned venomous. "After Kazu left, I grew bitter and angry at her. But how else could I move on? I needed to do my duty to my wife. And you were never supposed to show up here."

Amaya gulped down her emotion. "Well, I don't think mama ever expected me to grow up without a family. She knew how hard it was for me without a father."

"She should have sent you back to the Tokugawas, not to me."

Amaya scoffed. "Of course," she said sarcastically. Anger roiled within her at the sudden thought that her father had known her true lineage all along. "Thank you for failing to mention that I had another family in Tokyo! One that _wants_ me. One that doesn't _regret_ I exist." Acid dripped through her tone.

He turned away from her, but she thought she saw him flinch at her words. "When you showed up to the first tournament and our families found out the affair was true, well, the backlash that followed was vicious. It was enough trying to dispel the tension between our two families, but then when it came to light that you are a Tokugawa..." he trailed off, scoffing. "All hell broke loose. It has gotten quite...political...and your family isn't even involved yet. Akira and I are doing everything we can to keep the situation above water."

Amaya was incredulous. It seemed impossible that an affair like this would completely tear the two families apart, unless everything had been built on lies.

"No," Amaya said fiercely, standing up to meet her father. "I'm not the one breaking your families apart. You're doing quite well on your own, as far as I can tell."

He opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off. "The blood between your families runs strong. Look at me. I've come back to you over, and over, and over, and over again, and you've denied my existence over, and over, and over, and over again. But I'm still here, not because of you, but because of them." She pointed to Honey and Takashi. "There is forgiveness here, and acceptance, in a generation that isn't yours. I highly doubt the actions of a single man can undo generations worth of trust between your families, or that it can break the trust in the generations after you.

"If you're so concerned about your family, _do_ something! You can pretend that I don't exist all you want, but the family you actually care about deserves to know the truth about your first engagement, your trouble with Aiko-sama, everything."

"Yorihisa, if Aiko were alive I think she would agree," Akira said. "Your daughter speaks wise words."

"She's not my-" Yorihisa began.

"Shut up!"

The whole room turned to look at the outburst from Honey.

"You're pathetic," he said, brows furrowed in anger. "She's _family_." Honey was trying hard to hold back his tears, but they welled up in his eyes nevertheless.

The whole room was silent. Amaya could tell that Yorihisa was struggling internally. It would be hard for him to hear criticism from his firstborn son, to hear him standing up for the daughter he never wanted. Finally, he spoke to her.

"Well, you asked for the truth. I've obliged."

Amaya looked around and saw pain and raw emotion on everyone's face. She felt miserable. The truth was out, but what Yorihisa did with it had yet to be seen.

"Just remember," she said, trying but failing to keep her voice steady, "I told you before I let my uncle do anything rash."

Her father turned away from her. "Akira," he said, "I'd like to speak with you alone."

The clock began to chime the hour. It was later than Amaya had expected.

"Of course," Akira said with a strained voice. He, too, was processing all of the information of the night. He stood up from his seat and walked toward Amaya.

"Please, stay in our guest room tonight," he said. "It's too late to be traveling across the city. I will send a message to Inejiro about your whereabouts. Takashi and Satoshi will take you back to our home."

"Father..." Satoshi said hesitantly. Akira looked to his youngest son and saw worry clear in his eyes. Only then did he look toward Yasuchika, who was visibly shaking from the information he had heard.

"You can stay here, Satoshi," Akira said. "Takashi?"

The tall boy stood and came over to them. "I'll take her home," he said.

"Mitsukuni will be okay?"

Takashi glanced at his friend, who nodded back at him, a sobering look in his eyes. He stood up and stalked out of the room.

"I'll check on him later tonight."

Takashi held out his hand for Amaya to take, and with a furtive glance back at her father, she put her hand in his. He led her from the room, into the main hall, and outside. As soon as they were in fresh air, he turned and pulled her into a deep embrace. She began to sob. He stroked the back of her head until her tears ran out. Both of them understood the magnitude of what had been shared that evening.

"Takashi," she said, sniffling. Her voice was slightly muffled by his chest, "can we talk?"

He nodded his head and let go of her, carefully wiping away the tears around her black eye. He took her hand in his once again and led her away from the Haninozuka household. They passed silently out of the gates and walked together down the street to the Morinozuka home. It looked comfortable and calm, a welcome contrast to the imposing and threatening feel that the Haninozuka home had bestowed upon her.

"Can we sit outside?" she asked. The night was still warm, but a slight chill was settling in.

He nodded and led her through the kitchen and into the backyard, sitting her down on an outdoor couch. "Do you need anything?" he asked.

She shook her head, but he left and came back with a glass of water for her anyway. In the quiet, he walked toward the woodpile and started building a fire. Amaya heard a small 'peep' and found Piyo-chan staring up at her, small chicken head cocked to the side. She picked up the bird and set him in her lap, smoothing back his feathers while he cooed contentedly. Not to be left behind, Pome-chan scurried in and curled up next to her, happy to have someone warm to cuddle with.

After a few minutes when the fire was roaring, Takashi sat down next to her. Pome-chan uncurled himself and found a new perch in Takashi's lap, while Piyo-chan remained content with Amaya.

"Takashi," she began after a few moments, but her words failed her and she stopped speaking. He remained silent.

"Say what you need to say," he finally said. "You won the right to do so."

The words rushed out of her. They weren't the first words she wanted to say, nor were they what she had intended to talk about, but they were the ones that were on her heart. "Why didn't you accept my challenge?" she asked. "Why didn't you fight me?"

He closed his eyes and pursed his lips before answering her. "I was fighting _for_ you."

Amaya stared at him in confusion. "You know I've never wanted someone to fight my battles for me."

"No," he said, shaking his head in frustration. He turned his head to look directly at her so she wouldn't miss his meaning. "You don't understand. I was fighting for _you_ ," he said again, emphasizing a different word.

Amaya looked at him, now a little nervous instead of confused. She wasn't used to him being so thoroughly direct with her. "Why?" she finally asked, softly, timidly.

His deep, impenetrable eyes softened at her question, and the tenderness that she saw at the dojo returned to them. "Do you really need to ask?" he said, exasperated. He reached his hand up to delicately stroke her cheek, and before she could understand what was happening, he leaned in and his lips were touching hers. Pome-chan angrily squeaked because his seat in Takashi's lap was disrupted. Piyo-chan was equally disturbed, and both animals jumped from the couch to scurry somewhere else. Amaya didn't notice. She was lost.

Takashi's lips were soft and smooth as satin, warm against her own. Butterflies had erupted within her upon the first touch of his lips, but as he continued kissing her, the butterflies began to smolder deep within her. Her body tingled in every direction as she reached her arms to pull him closer, deeper into this newly awakened feeling. Her lips parted against his and she felt a gentle desire for him rise from the smoldering in her belly.

After a few moments he broke away from her, his hand still cradling her head. She was breathless. "Do you understand?" he asked, phrasing the words more like a statement than a question.

Amaya was still in a state of shock. All the passivity of their last few months at Ouran, all of the problems between their families, all of their disagreements...all these disappeared. "I think so..." she said in a hushed voice.

She watched as the corners of Takashi's lips turned up into a smile. He leaned backwards, drawing her in on top of him as he lay on the couch. She rested her head on his chest, elated to know that hers wasn't the only heart that was racing. When she turned her head to look at him, she found that he was already gazing at her, and he began to stroke her cheek with his fingers. Amaya suddenly felt self conscious of how she looked. She dropped her eyes and bit her lip, turning red.

Immediate concern overcame Takashi's face. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

"No," she said, giving him a sheepish glance. "It's just, when you look at me that way...I'm covered in bruises, my hair looks terrible...you look at me like I'm prettier than I am."

He let out a breath of relief and shifted her so that they were lying side by side, wrapping her in his long, muscular arms. His dark grey eyes were full of warmth. "You're gorgeous," he whispered, kissing her forehead.

She lay for a few moments, content in his arms, before reality pulled her back.

"I'm not going to stand between you and your family," she whispered.

"I know," he whispered back, "but I'm not ready to say goodbye to you."

"So what are we going to do?"

In response, Takashi swung his long arm over her and grabbed a nearby blanket, wrapping the both of them together. She was lulled by his warmth and the warmth of the fire, and before he could answer her question, exhaustion overtook her and she fell asleep.

"I don't know," he said, pressing his lips to her forehead again. He stared into the flames as he listened to Amaya's breathing, unease settling in on his contentment.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hope you all enjoyed this installment. The aim was to make it emotionally charged for all members involved, but ultimately I wanted this to bring around the resolution between Amaya and Takashi. It's not all butterflies and rainbows from here, though. Still gotta see how the families respond to Yorihisa's truth. Thank you for the reads, the reviews, the favorites, and the follows!

Shoutouts to everyone who reviewed! I'm so glad the twist in the last chapter seemed to catch a lot of you by surprise and that you enjoyed the fights. BookKeeper88, Enecs, Airedhiella, germanwinter, HTMLfreak _(I KNOW! HER HAIR!)_ , Toreh, AmericanNidiot, kristina0lynn, Mamabug, Nightscarlett, Nkaura-Ruta-la, dragonfly1339, BlackDove WhiteDove _(glad you found this story and are enjoying it!)_ , Christi-anitaXD, wealhtheow1, Nova5621, slucky13, and guests.

In response to one of the guest reviews, Amaya definitely grew up in San Francisco, not New York (I did double check, just to make sure I didn't mess something up along the way). Thanks for keeping an eye out, though!

I'll be exploring/imagining/writing some of the extended members of the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families in the next chapter, as well as try my hand at some of the family dynamics. Although they were more straightforward in the manga/anime, the fact that Kyoya and Tamaki (and the twins I suppose, to a milder extent) have really messy family situations and inner family power struggles makes me consider that in reality, Mori and Honey have messy situations, too.


	19. The Aftermath, Part II

A/N: Just a word on this chapter...there are a few new characters and it's been a while so I'm going to recap family ties before this chapter starts.

Haninozuka family: Satoru and Mayumi are the parents of Yorihisa, who fathered Honey and Yasuchika with Aiko Morinozuka, and fathered Amaya with Kazunomiya Tokugawa.

Morinozuka family: Sakura is the mother of Aiko and Akira. Her husband is deceased. Aiko married Yorihisa and had Honey and Yasuchika, Akira married Kei (a commoner) and had Takashi and Satoshi.

Tokugawa family: Tsuneo and his wife had Inejiro and Kazunomiya. Kazunomiya is the mother of Amaya, through Yorihisa. I have purposely left Amaya's aunt and grandmother unnamed...they don't have major roles.

* * *

The first thing she felt when she awoke was pain. She groaned audibly, stretching her arms and legs out out as wide as they would extend in an effort to remove all the kinks in her muscles. A small squeak made her jump; she had rudely kicked Pome-chan awake from his own slumber at the end of the bed.

"Sorry!" she said frantically. In response the tanuki shuffled up the sheets to her, preferring to curl up in her arms. She sat up, straining against the soreness in her abs and her ribs and finding herself once again in the Morinozuka guest room. She swung her legs off the bed, stroking Pome-chan's fur as he purred contentedly next to her.

She sat for a moment, recapping in her mind the events of the prior evening. Her father's story, emotions running high, firelight, soft kisses... her eyes widened and she blushed madly when she recalled the touch of Takashi's lips.

"Pome-chan!" she exclaimed in an awed voice. "He kissed me!"

She glanced to the analog clock in the corner and noticed it was late. She wondered if the rest of the family was already awake, and what she would possibly say to Takashi when she saw him.

She put the tanuki on the ground and walked toward the door. As she slid open the doors to the room, he shuffled out in front of her and down the hallway. Amaya blinked. Two men in suits with dark glasses were standing outside of her room. Amaya looked down the hallway, but no one else was there.

"Good morning, Tokugawa-sama," one of the men said.

"Good morning?" she asked.

"The Morinozuka family was called to an urgent meeting. We are here to escort you home," he said.

 _Uh-oh,_ Amaya thought.

She retreated into her room to grab her bag, and found the medal from the previous day carefully wrapped and placed in one of the pockets. On top of it was a brief note that said: 'Take care of this,' in Takashi's scrawl. She smiled to herself and tucked it safely away.

She followed the two men outside and to a waiting car. One of the men opened the door for her to get in.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. Kyoya and Tamaki were both sitting in the car, looking shady, per usual.

As soon as the door of the car closed behind her, Kyoya spoke. "It seems like you've caused quite a stir."

"Do you..." Amaya frowned. "How do you know about what happened?"

"Honey-senpai told us everything last night. Yorihisa-sama called an urgent family meeting this morning, with the most important people from the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families in attendance. The Tokugawas are going to join them this evening, but we need to get you prepared first."

Amaya was speechless. "Excuse me?" she asked.

"Look," Tamaki began, "we're all rooting for you and Mori-senpai. But if you don't mind me saying, you know nothing about their families, and you need to be prepared if anything good is going to come out of this meeting."

"I'm not following..." she said.

"Apparently," Kyoya explained, "there has been a lot more drama between the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families in recent years than was ever allowed to be made public. The political rise and fall of both families has been linked to the marriages of Yorihisa-sama and Akira-sama, which wasn't helped by the fact that your mother ran from her own marriage. They're having a sort of...family summit, to discuss the future of the family, whether the family lies in good hands with the current heads, the prospects of the future heads, and how to avoid public drama with the Tokugawa family."

"I thought all of this was basically set in stone and based on patriarchy...you're telling me that Yorihisa could be removed as the head of the family?" Amaya asked, incredulous.

"It is patriarchy, but it's more flexible in modern day. For example, I'm the third son in my family, yes? But I could surpass my brothers if the cards are played correctly. Yorihisa-sama may be the current family head, but his parents still hold quite a sway over him and they could easily force his hand."

"And my grandmother is the true head of our family," Tamaki added softly, gazing out the window. "Whatever power my father has is overshadowed by her and her stake in our company."

"But..." was all that Amaya could say. She was not prepared for this.

"First thing's first," Tamaki started. "We need to make sure you look beautiful this evening."

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"The Hitachiin mansion," Kyoya responded.

They soon pulled up to the sprawling estate and found Haruhi and the twins waiting for them.

"You all know about it, too?" Amaya asked.

"Word travels fast," Hikaru said, winking at her.

"Come on, the hair dresser just arrived. He needs to see this mess immediately," Kaoru told her. They both grabbed her by the hands and dragged her inside, where a stylish man with jet black hair and high cheekbones awaited them.

"Ah, Tokugawa Amaya. It is a pleasure." He bowed to her, sweeping his arm toward the ground with more grace than Amaya thought was possible in a human. He seemed unfazed by her haphazard appearance.

"He's...handsome," Amaya whispered to Tamaki.

"Yes, he's the preferred hairdresser of most of the girls at Ouran. He also style celebrities. He'll be able to do something with this," Tamaki answered, tugging at a strand of her hair.

Kyoya looked at his watch. "Five hours to go."

The hairdresser whose name she didn't know whisked her off into a decorated dressing room that resembled a private salon. He sat her down in a swiveling chair and immediately began an assessment.

"Not cut terribly short, but it is uneven on the side. You have a beautiful shade of brown, so silky. How often do you wash?"

"Uh...usually every day," she responded.

"Do you style it?"

"No...not really. Braids and ponytails, when I need it out of my way."

"Hm...I'll give you a low maintenance style then. Thankfully, whoever cut your hair left me with something to work with. Bangs would frame your face nicely."

She sat there, speechless. _Bangs?_

He glanced at her reflection in the mirror and smirked. "No arguments," he said playfully. "I was told by Suoh-sama that I had artistic license."

As he was shampooing her short locks, the twins came in.

"How do you like our salon?" they asked in unison.

"I wouldn't have thought to find something like this in your private home..." Amaya trailed off.

"Why not?" Hikaru asked.

"Our mother _is_ a fashion designer. We _do_ host shows every now and again," Kaoru piped in. "By the way, are you hungry?"

Amaya thought about it. "Starving, actually," she said, when she felt her stomach grumble. She remembered that she hadn't had breakfast that morning.

"Good," they said together.

A moment later Haruhi popped in with a tray full of sushi. Kyoya and Tamaki were in tow right behind her.

"They have fancy tuna!" she exclaimed with a smile.

"There's no time for her to eat," Kyoya said. He handed Haruhi a pair of chopsticks. "Don't get in the way of the scissors."

"I still don't know exactly what's going on," Amaya muttered under her breath.

"To become a princess one must look the part," Tamaki replied to her.

What then ensued for the next three hours was a blur. Amaya was fed bites of sushi from Haruhi while her hair was cut and styled. She was dragged off to another room, this one a gigantic closet full of color and fabric. The twins argued for about half an hour over her best colors, until their mother waltzed in and immediately picked out what she called 'the perfect kimono to bring out your eyes.'

"The eyes, wonderful!" Tamaki had exclaimed.

Then, before she could dress, she was taken back to the salon where her nails were manicured and her makeup was done. Finally, she was taken to a private room to dress in the kimono. When she emerged, a mirror was put in front of her. She gasped.

"How did you do this?" she asked breathlessly. She turned her head back and forth, marveling at her hair cut. Somehow, her previously cropped cut had turned into an artistic piece, short in the back and draping toward the front, framing her face beautifully, just as the hairdresser had said. The makeup, also, had been done in such a way as to hide her bruises. She could barely make out the purple and blue of her black eye. It made her eyes appear larger than they actually were. Finally, she admired the kimono. It was mainly a deep plum color with brilliant white, green, and gold embroidered flowers and designs.

"Wow Amaya-senpai," Haruhi said. "You look beautiful!"

"Two hours to go," Kyoya said, looking at his watch.

"Wait a minute," Amaya said, skeptical about her new look. "This is a _furisode_ , not just any old kimono." In the rush of getting ready, she hadn't noticed the long sleeves.

"Of course. You're an unmarried female of age. Remember, we're preparing you for battle," Tamaki said lightly, but there was a hardness in his voice.

"This isn't what I would choose for a battle..." Amaya responded, anxiety rising within her.

"Sometimes battles aren't fought with weapons," Kyoya said pointedly. "Come. We have two hours for etiquette, and I only hope it will be enough."

Kyoya and Tamaki brought her into a conference room. On the large mahogany table in front of them lay file folders with pictures and names of various members of the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families.

"What's this?" she asked.

"You need to know your opponents and their strategies," Kyoya responded.

Amaya balked. "This is ridiculous!" she stated.

"This is serious, Amaya-senpai," Tamaki said quietly. "You underestimate how crafty and calculated the ultra-rich are."

"But...but..." she stuttered, in complete denial of what was actually happening. "I've met Akira-sama, and I know my father, and..."

"You haven't met the old guard."

All she could do was look at them with a blank face. _The old guard?_ She thought.

"Rule number one," Kyoya began. "Do not speak unless you are spoken to."

"The Haninozuka family is ruthless. Honey-senpai is the exception to the rule. This," Tamaki said, pointing to one of the files, "is Honey's grandfather. And this is his grandmother. She's a descendent of the Matsudaira line, related to the Tokugawa family. While Yorihisa-sama is the head of the family, they still influence many of the family decisions and are colder than he is."

"That's hard to believe…" Amaya muttered.

"They are devoted to their family and maintain a close relationship with the Morinozuka family, but Mori-senpai's grandfather died a few years ago, and only his grandmother is left." Kyoya gestured toward another file. "She is much kinder, but generally defers to Akira-sama and the Haninozuka's because she is not truly blood related. She married into the family. If Akira-sama is on your side, she will most likely be as well.

"The Haninozukas are a proud family, and even though you are a Tokugawa now, they will not accept lightly the fact that you were raised and educated mostly in America. To them you are foreign, despite your name and your actual pedigree."

"Rule number two," Tamaki said, "Don't make eye contact. You are to be submissive, like a traditional and proper young Japanese woman of marrying age."

"What?" she exclaimed. "The Haninozuka family prizes the dominant, the fighters. Are you to have me believe that the strength and skills I have are a weakness?"

"They aren't a weakness," Tamaki began, "not to the newer generations. Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai definitely respect you, and your own father was impressed by you yesterday. But the old guard, especially the females, understand a whole other type of strength. Don't be deceived, they also maintain skills in physical strength and are as deadly as their male counterparts, but they remain incredibly discreet. Honey's grandparents will not be impressed that you disguised yourself as a boy in the tournament."

 _One strike against me already.._. she thought.

"But they will be impressed that you won," Kyoya broke in. "To gain their respect, you must show them that you can fight on their level, too," Kyoya said with finality.

Amaya touched the folders with caution. "What…exactly…am I fighting for today?" she asked.

Kyoya and Tamaki exchanged a glance.

Tamaki spoke. "To be honest, we're not entirely sure, but the fact that you've been invited along with your grandparents and your uncle and his wife says more than you can imagine. They want to bring resolution to all of the drama that has been stirred up, but how that happens will be a mystery until you are in that room with them."

"So…" she began, pulling one of the files toward her and opening the pages within. "No eye contact, don't speak unless spoken to, what other rules are there? What else do I need to know?"

* * *

Two hours later, Amaya exited from the conference room.

"How are you feeling?" Hikaru asked her.

"Overwhelmed," she said miserably.

"Well, we believe in you!" Kaoru said. "Here, make sure you wear this proudly. We found it in your bag."

Kaoru held out the medal that she had won the day before and placed it around her neck.

"They'll rue this. You'll appear more powerful with it."

"Thanks," she said quietly.

"Come on, there's a car waiting. Haruhi's already in the back seat to give you company on the way over."

Amaya made her way outside toward the car. Indeed, Haruhi was already waiting for her in the backseat.

"Hey," she said when Amaya sat down.

"Hi," Amaya returned.

"You doing okay?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," she replied. "There are so many ways I could mess up today, and I'm not even sure what I've gotten myself into."

"I don't really understand these people," Haruhi said, "but it sounds like they're all uptight over things that don't matter."

Amaya sighed heavily, staring out the window at the trees and power lines drifting by. A slight drizzle was starting to fall from the sky. "You've got that right. All this 'tradition' is starting to make me sick of the upper class. I can see why my mom wanted to leave this all behind. It really is stifling. I was just coached in how to _not_ be myself."

"Amaya-senpai, do you love Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai?"

The question caught her off guard. She turned her head sharply to look at Haruhi. "Of course," she responded.

"Enough to stay by their sides?"

Amaya looked down at her fingers, finding herself already picking away at her freshly manicured hands. She forced herself to stop. "You mean like my mother?"

"I'm not saying your mother made a mistake," Haruhi continued. "But you aren't your mother. I think you have to ask yourself if sticking by Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai is worth being miserable. Is their love enough to fill the hole that has been left behind by your family?"

Amaya exhaled, not realized she had been holding her breath. Haruhi, once again, hit the nail on the head.

"Honey is my brother," she responded quietly, "and he will always be my brother no matter what the outcome of today is. But Takashi..." she paused, frowning at the thought of losing him. "Takashi has managed to help me fill in holes I didn't even know were there. I love him, Haruhi."

They pulled up in front of the Haninozuka mansion.

"I love him enough to let him go if necessary," she finished.

The door opened for her, and she looked to Haruhi. The girl's eyes were furrowed, not knowing what to say. As Amaya stepped out of the car, she turned back and said, "If you were in this situation, and Tamaki were on the other side, would you choose your own needs over his? Or would you decide to put him first?"

The car door closed before Haruhi could respond.

Outside of the car, Amaya looked up toward the rain that was falling and took a deep breath. An attendant from the house came out to her holding an umbrella, and she was escorted into the main hall.

"Wait here, please," the attendant said. He bowed to her and scuffled off in a different direction. Amaya finally took the time to marvel at the main Haninozuka house. The entrance hall was more of an atrium of sorts, with high, vaulted ceilings. A great chandelier set the tone, but the sweeping mahogany staircase remained the focal point. Amaya wondered how large the house, no, _mansion_ , was, given that the grounds around the house were enormous.

The attendant returned. "They are ready for you. Please follow me."

Amaya took a nervous breath. "Is my family-"

"Your grandparents and aunt and uncle are already settled. They have been expecting your arrival."

She followed him past the staircase and through another doorway, and finally into the great room she had been in the night before. She paused at the doorway, hardly able to breathe, as the attendant announced her presence. She furtively glanced around the room. The couches were rearranged in such a way that a round seating area had been constructed. Three sets of grandparents sat facing each other: her own sat across from Honey's grandparents, and Takashi's grandmother sat alone on an adjacent couch. Amaya's aunt was also seated next to her grandmother, but the three patriarchs, Yorihisa, Akira, and Inejiro, all stood. On a fourth couch, facing grandma Morinozuka and completing the circle, sat Takashi and Honey. The younger boys were not present. The first thing Amaya noticed was that there were fewer here than she had expected. Many of the family members Kyoya had drilled her on were not present. The second thing she noticed was how everyone was dressed. The women all wore kimonos, but the men were in full suits. Amaya caught Takashi's eye; she blushed at the sight of him. He was wearing a fitted grey suit with a navy tie. He looked dapper on the occasion and incredibly handsome. His eyes drank her in as well, and a subtle warmth spread throughout her belly at the thought of him.

"Ah, here she is. The source of our problems."

Amaya's eyes snapped away from Takashi and towards the man that spoke. She recognized the face of Honey's grandfather. _Satoru Haninozuka..._ The man was shrewd, and had eyes that reminded Amaya of a hawk. They were filled with something akin to malice. _Crap_ , Amaya thought frantically. She immediately averted her eyes from the gentleman's fierce gaze. _There goes rule number two._

"She has the nerve to wear the crest of our family around her neck?" Satoru said in shock. He looked first to his wife on the couch and then to his son standing nearby. "How could you allow this to happen?" he demanded.

Amaya bowed her head, trying to appear submissive. She dared not look at her father.

Yorihisa cleared his voice. "She earned it," he said, his voice cracking. He sounded exhausted.

"She _earned_ it," the man sneered. "She paraded around as a boy. There is no honesty in tricks."

"There was no other way to enter the tournament." The eyes in the room snapped to Amaya, who stood frozen. Anger was seething through her at the maliciousness of this man. _There goes rule number one_ , she thought, contrite.

Satoru's face turned to stone and spite. He stood up and faced Amaya. "You will learn your place!" he spat.

Amaya's grandfather immediately rose in her defense. "You will _not_ speak to my granddaughter that way."

Amaya glared at Satoru, her grandfather from the Haninozuka side, before forcing her head down and staring at her feet. _Don't make eye contact_ , she thought. She had probably ruined all chances of making this a productive meeting already. She was grinding her teeth, but she didn't care.

"Satoru, sit down," an unfamiliar voice said. "The girl entered the tournament to make sure this meeting happened privately instead of publicly. Even you should be able to appreciate that."

 _Ah, a Haninozuka that doesn't feel the need to yell at me_ , Amaya thought sarcastically. _What a refreshing change of pace._

Mayumi Haninozuka, Honey's grandmother, continued to speak as Satoru and Tsuneo, Amaya's grandfather, took their seats. "We aren't here to berate each other, we are here to find a way forward." She gestured to Amaya. "Come here, child."

Mayumi came from the Matsudaira line, distant relatives of the Tokugawa family. She was calm where her husband was threatening. Amaya considered for a moment which grandparent her father took after before tentatively moving toward the woman. She made her way to the center of the ring of couches.

"You earned this, yes?" she asked, picking up the ornate medal where it lay on Amaya's chest.

"I fought for it," she replied softly.

"You fought well, then. But, my husband is right. You are not a Haninozuka." With a swift movement, the older woman yanked hard on the medal with enough force to rip the ribbon that held it around Amaya's neck. Amaya gasped. The ribbon did not give lightly and Amaya was thrown forward onto her hands and knees, tripping over her kimono. She gasped in pain - the bruises around her neck, while hidden by makeup, were still tender. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Takashi tense and start to move.

"No, Takashi," his own grandmother said, but her words were soft and sounded more like a suggestion than a command.

Takashi did not take her suggestion and was immediately at Amaya's side. Her own uncle, Inejiro, had also rushed to her side, and together they both pulled her on her feet. Takashi took her chin in his hands and lifted her head, inspecting the area around her neck. His fingers left a soft, tingling sensation across her skin. The room was quiet as the elders observed their behavior.

Amaya knew what had happened. Mayumi Haninozuka was as cruel as her husband. _The respect of the Haninozuka family,_ she thought to herself. _Earned and then ripped away._ Tears sprang into Amaya's eyes, blurring her vision. _Rule number three, don't let them see you cry. So much for that._

"We will not sit idly and observe this disrespect," Inejiro told the Haninozuka elders after he saw Amaya's tears.

"The same disrespect you showed our family when Kazunomiya refused her marriage?" Satoru Haninozuka's words were acidic. "The dissolution of that engagement marked the downturn of our family's political seat. We will not make peace in the presence of a bastard who claims the Haninozuka name."

Amaya found herself shaking, whether out of anger or out of shock she was unsure. Takashi took Amaya's hand in his and quietly coaxed her to sit on the couch next to Honey.

"It is true she is a bastard," Amaya's grandfather said thoughtfully from his seat on the couch. His brows were furrowed and his eyes dark. "And you may not recognize her as a Haninozuka, but she is a Tokugawa. If we are to make peace, she will be treated with the respect and dignity you would give a true born _Tokugawa_."

Satoru and Tsuneo eyed each other tensely. "A Tokugawa, but _not_ a Haninozuka," Satoru repeated.

An awkward silence permeated the room.

Yorihisa stepped forward. "I feel I must speak," he said, breaking the silence. "I have made many mistakes, but hiding Kazu's existence from your family was wrong. In that time I thought only of myself, not how my actions would affect your family as well. If there is anything I can do to..." He trailed off as he caught sight of Amaya and Honey sitting next to each other. In a moment, his frown had softened, as if he were touching a distant memory.

"Yorihisa?" Akira asked cautiously.

Yorihisa blinked and turned his head toward the Tokugawa family. "If there is anything I can do now to appease my past mistakes, I will do it."

"If you are truly sincere about that, you would recognize Amaya as your daughter," Inejiro replied coldly.

Yorihisa looked to the floor, guilty. Then he lifted his head, and after looking at Amaya for some time, said, "I do, even if my family doesn't. I can no longer deny that she is my daughter." He stepped back and turned to Akira, who nodded at him.

"If that's all," Satoru said, eyeing his son warily, "we also have a proposition that may guide our families forward. A business proposition."

Amaya's attention remained on her father. He and Akira had begun conversing softly. She wondered what was going through his mind, and why all his hatred for her had seemingly dissipated. _What has broken him?_ she wondered.

She thought back to what Kyoya and Tamaki had said. Clearly, Satoru and Mayumi were running this conversation, while Yorihisa stood back and allowed it to happen. Was he, or was he not, the head of the family? She considered another tidbit of information that Kyoya had dropped during their conversation earlier...that the rich felt power truly lie with money. Perhaps Satoru and Mayumi still controlled the family finances. They were the ones, after all, who were trying to make this deal with the Tokugawas.

As Amaya listened to the proposition that Satoru laid on the table, she began to realize the intricacies of the Haninozuka family. While they were skilled in martial arts, and incomparable at that, they also happened to be heavily invested in Japan's military and oversaw training of all who entered the military. Recently, they had entered financially into Japan's energy sector. They were interested in finding business partners, and with the Tokugawa family on their side, they would have much more of an influence over the general population, as the Tokugawas were still well loved by the people.

"An alliance between our families will help us move forward from the mistakes in our past," Satoru finished.

Amaya's grandfather, Tsuneo, leaned forward. "First, Amaya is not, and never was, a mistake. Second, she will be involved in the family business when she comes of age. Since you are so eager to strip her of the titles she has earned, what guarantee do we have that you will stay true to your word in this business deal?"

Amaya looked to her grandfather in that moment with great admiration.

"Ahem," a voice came. The room turned to look toward Akira. His quiet conversation with Yorihisa had ended, and he was now looking at his eldest son. "Yorihisa and I have a proposition that may help our family alliances," he said. "A marriage once did not work out between a Tokugawa and a Haninozuka, and it is true that that dissolution is part of the reason why we are here today. But, it is not too late to join our families by marriage. What of a match between my son, Takashi, and your granddaughter, Amaya-sama?"

Amaya could only stare. _They're joking, right?_ Amaya whipped her eyes to Takashi's face. Her heart was pounding nervously in her chest. She could see a tense excitement in his eyes. _Could an arranged marriage solve this issue? Is it all really that simple?_

"She has Haninozuka blood. It has taken me too long to see what my son Mitsukuni has seen all along." Yorihisa's voice was strained and full of emotion. "A match would link all three of our families and tie us closer together, rather than push us apart."

Somewhere, sometime, between the previous evening and now, Yorihisa Haninozuka's heart had truly changed.

"It is clear that they love each other," Takashi's grandmother, Sakura Morinozuka, said softly. She smiled at them uncertainly, and Amaya saw that her eyes were wet with tears.

Amaya's grandfather spoke. "We have turned down many propositions for arranged marriages." He paused in thought. "This certainly would help absolve some of the issues between our families, but the decision rests entirely on what Amaya wants. We will not agree to something that she has no say in."

"Yes," Amaya said excitedly, almost before her grandfather had stopped speaking. Takashi had taken her hands in his. He smiled down at her.

A cackling laughter, coming from Mayumi Haninozuka, broke through the tenderness of the moment. "They _do_ love each other," she said. "It's comical."

"I'm disappointed in you both," Satoru Haninozuka said, addressing Yorihisa and Akira. "You know that this is not an option."

The smile crumbled from Takashi's face as he glanced to his father.

"What do you mean?" Akira asked them.

"You mean you never told him?" Mayumi Haninozuka said accusingly to Sakura Morinozuka.

"Told me what, mother?"

By this point, Sakura's tears were falling down her face. She knew she was about to disappoint her son and her favorite grandson. "When you were younger, both you and Yorihisa were to have arranged marriages. We had a pact with the Haninozuka family - both marriages were chosen to further our spheres of influence in Japan's government. But then, you fell in love with Kei." Sakura smiled softly at some wistful memory. Then, she frowned. "Your father and I could not bear to take you away from one another, and so we broke our pact. In retribution, the Haninozuka family would have the right over your firstborn's marriage, in order to assuage our wrong. I'm sorry I never told you...I had hoped to find a way out of this agreement before Takashi came of age to be married."

"We already have a fine young woman picked out for him," Mayumi said ruefully. "She may not have the Tokugawa name, but she comes from a good family and she at least has the upbringing to match. She's quite beautiful."

"That's ridiculous!" Honey spoke up for the first time. "We live in the 21st century. You can't control who Takashi marries."

"We live by tradition, Mitsukuni," Satoru answered him. "If Takashi wants to marry this girl, he can, but he must renounce his claim to the Morinozuka seat."

Amaya's worst fears were realized. She saw the immediate conflict on Takashi's face. Her heart broke...she had never wanted him to choose between her and his family, and she loved him enough to keep him from choosing.

"No," she said, "he cannot do that."

"No," Mayumi agreed, looking at her with a jaded expression, "he cannot. But you love him."

"I do," she said, turning to Takashi, "and I will not get in his way."

Takashi's eyes drifted toward her slowly. They were blank and hollow. _I'm sorry_ , she thought to him in her mind, wishing she could say the words out loud. _I love you, so I won't get in the way of your future._

"Well that's settled," Satoru continued. "We can recognize Amaya-sama as a Tokugawa, but there will be nothing more. Now, what about this business agreement?"

Inejiro sensed Amaya's sadness in her decision to let Takashi go. His heart went out to her. "We will not enter into business with you," he said quietly, yet with a sternness in his voice. "We will not publicly declare enmity between our families, but in return we will have nothing to do with the Haninozuka family, now, or ever." After a heartbeat, he said, "It is time for us to leave. We have been insulted enough for one day."

Satoru and Mayumi both appeared bristled at the turn of events but did not make any effort to make a counter offer. In a strained voice Yorihisa said, "Are you sure? This is what you want?" The question was addressed to both his own parents and to Inejiro. No one answered him. He turned his attention to Amaya and Takashi and watched them, a look of uncertainty on his face.

Amaya attention was only on Takashi. She couldn't read the emotion in his face and it killed her on the inside.

"Takashi?" she whispered to him, her hands still in his.

"Amaya, let's go," commanded her grandfather.

She slowly pulled away from Takashi's limp hands as she stood to leave, but he made no move to recognize that she was leaving. He sat frozen on the couch, staring at where she had been. As Amaya exited the room, she turned her head one more time to glimpse Takashi, but the door was shut firmly in her face by an attendant.

Amaya maintained her silence on the car ride back to the Tokugawa manse. She felt hollow on the inside, not sure how to feel and unsure how the inevitable pain was going to affect her, but the shock of it all was certainly settling in. Kyoya and Tamaki had been right, the relations between the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families were rife with tensions that didn't exist from an outsider's perspective.

When they reached the entrance of the Tokugawa home, Amaya turned toward her bedroom but was stopped by her grandfather.

"Amaya," he said, causing her to turn toward him. "I'm sorry."

She nodded. "Me too," she said. Then, she hesitated. "Grandfather..."

"Yes?"

"I think now might be a good time for me to leave. You know I've wanted to travel, and right now more than anything I'd like space and time from all of this."

Her grandfather walked toward her, picking up her hands in his own.

"Will you come back?" he asked, voice thick with emotion.

She smiled up at him, tears breaking free from her eyes. He loved her enough to give her freedom, and it made her sad knowing that he didn't realize how much she loved him, too. "Of course," she said, before wrapping him in a great hug. "You and grandmother must come and visit me, wherever I go, and I will be back in Japan before you know it." She laughed drily. "I still want to go to college, and you know I can't do that without you."

She pulled away from him and went to her bedroom, shutting the door carefully and locking it behind her. She turned and caught sight of herself in the mirror. She hardly recognized herself with all of the finery. Her hair, the makeup on her face, the kimono...all of it was wrong.

"This isn't me," she said to herself softly. She began the process of undressing, taking the beautiful kimono off and replacing it with sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt. She took a towel and started wiping the makeup off of her face until her bruises shone as bright as they had the day before. When all was done, she pulled up a chair in front of the mirror and sat down, staring at herself wondering who she was, and who she wanted to become. Tears drifted down her cheeks, but she hardly saw them.

* * *

Within days, Amaya was on a flight to China, where she would start her journey on the Trans-Siberian Railroad. She opened up her computer to check her email for the first time since her last meeting with the Haninozukas and the Morinozukas. She saw five messages from Tamaki, three from Haruhi, and one from each of the twins. Honey had also written her a handful of times, but she couldn't bring herself to read his words yet. She closed her computer again, sighing. The Host Club members, sans Takashi, had blown up her cell phone with texts and messages. Kyoya had left her a particularly long message. She hadn't listened to it yet. She hadn't answered any of them. The radio silence from Takashi was deafening, but then again, what did she expect? Before she left, she penned a letter to Takashi explaining her decision, unveiling all of her feelings for him and what his friendship meant to her, and wishing him a good life. Instead of sending it, however, she kept it tucked away in her bag, unwilling to let him read what was written on her heart.

She had spent the past days moping in her bedroom, unsure what to do about her broken heart and trying to figure out what a life without Takashi meant. She felt stupid for feeling lost without him, but without his presence she didn't know where to turn. He always calmed her in one way or another. The only thing that kept her going was knowing that she was leaving. She had given the staff strict orders for no visitors and kept her travel plans a secret. The Host Club was pesky enough to find out her plans if the wrong person had gotten ahold of them.

Amaya sighed and squeezed her eyes shut, anxious at knowing that she would have to answer her friends sooner or later. She opened her laptop again. Sooner was always better. If she was going to accept her decision, she needed to start by acknowledging what happened with her friends.

Five hours and a flight to Beijing later, Amaya had read and listened to all of her messages. She called a taxi to the train station and considered how to respond. She wanted to maintain her friendships, but she needed space from the whole situation.

Amaya decided she would start with Haruhi. For the time being, the girl could relay information. Then, when her heart had sufficient time to heal, she would write Honey. He knew she needed her space, and he needed to be there for Takashi without her, too. Maybe, after enough time, she would send her letter to Takashi.

She felt a buzz in her pocket – she stopped what she was doing and pulled it out. Her phone showed a new text message.

'Keep in touch. Have a safe train ride west.' –Kyoya

Amaya frowned. Kyoya had eyes and ears everywhere. She thought back to his single phone message as she looked out the window. _Kyoya is discreet_ , she thought.

'Watch over him for me,' she typed back.

The taxi pulled up to the train station as Amaya felt another buzz in her pocket. She pulled it out, expecting some dry response from Kyoya.

Instead, she saw Takashi's name with a single word.

'Why?'

She bit her lip and put her phone away, pulling her backpack from the car and walking towards the imposing train. As soon as she was on board and settled in, she pulled her phone back out.

'It's my turn to protect you,' she wrote, 'and this is the only way I know how.'

The train rolled out of the station as Amaya hit 'send.'

* * *

A/N #2: Thanks so much for reading and sticking with me. I know it has been a while (2 months? I'M SO SORRY T-T) since the last update. We're coming up on the end here (don't worry, at least a couple more chapters), but after reading some of the comments and writing this installment, I've really been heavily debating changing how I originally planned on ending this story. Maybe I'll write a couple of alternate endings.

Anyway, thanks for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing! Shoutout to reviewers CasJeanne, BlackDove WhiteDove, AmericanNidiot, Mamabug, germanwinter, Kuroshi Ansatsusha87 (aka Shortie87), animefreak112097, saltqueen, slucky13, VersatileFaerie, Rocha Tempest, gossamermouse101, and 101.

Y'all out there on fanfic are the true heroes. I definitely appreciate all the support, and once again, thanks for sticking with me through this story!


	20. Something Worth Changing For

_June_

If Amaya thought her trip was going to be a time for peace and reflection, it was anything but.

She spent a month traveling through China, Mongolia, and Russia by train. As the days went by, she wondered what she was doing. What meaning did life have anymore? For so long, her purpose was finding her father and finding her family, proving herself with her skill in karate, and cultivating her relationship with Takashi. Without him, everything seemed meaningless. The days went by in a blur, and by the end of the first month she had almost convinced herself that she had done the right thing in leaving Tokyo and Takashi. As soon as she stepped off of the train in her final destination of Moscow, however, she was greeted by a familiar face. Honey was standing on the platform waiting for her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked warily, shouldering her backpack and walking towards him.

"You can't just run away without saying goodbye," he said, eyes like saucers staring up at her.

"I'm not running away," she mumbled, shifting her backpack into a more comfortable position.

"Really?" he asked her, skeptical.

She looked away from him, pursing her lips. "Okay," she admitted. "Maybe a little bit."

"You left us all in quite a mess," Honey said.

Amaya glared at him. "Right. It's my fault," she said angrily. "It doesn't matter that your family broke me down and stepped on all the pieces."

Honey's eyes widened, immediately realizing his faux pas. "Amaya-chan, no, that's not what I meant-"

"Because no matter what I do," she continued angrily, "I can never do anything that's worth anything to your family." She took a deep breath and looked Honey square in the eye. "I will never be good enough for them. In fact, I think I've been told multiple times that it would be better if I never existed. So if I _am_ running away, what difference does it make?"

"It _does_ make a difference, Amaya-chan," Honey insisted. "You didn't just run away from the people who don't want you, you also ran away from the people who _do_."

Amaya sighed. "Honey, I can't keep caring. It all just hurts inside. I don't know who I am anymore."

"You're my sister," Honey said with finality. "And no matter what my grandparents say, you're a Haninozuka. You heard what my father said."

Amaya shook her head, a dangerous heat building up inside of her as she mentally replayed the conversation with the Haninozukas. "Yes," she said curtly. "He said words. They could mean something, and they could mean nothing."

"They mean something," Honey insisted. "You made more of an impression on him than you think. Father has been through more than you realize. He's just now starting to understand things that you and I already know as truth. Once, he defined strength as physical skill. He told me that to be a good patriarch, I needed to prove that I am masculine and strong in order to show I am worthy to lead our family. So, for a long time, I denied myself everything that makes me, _me_. I was so conflicted.

"But then, a couple years ago, Tama-chan showed me what true strength really is. He said that the ability to be myself, despite what others think, is where my strength comes from. I challenged my father over the idea and beat him in a match. It changed the way he saw himself, too.

"Father wasn't always this way. He's done a lot of things wrong, but he hasn't forgiven himself, either. Amaya-chan, heartache hardened his heart a long time ago, but when you won the tournament, he realized that you were truly fighting for what you believe in and for what you care about. You showed him where your true strength lies, and in some sense I think you showed him that you love him."

"That still doesn't really excuse his actions," Amaya said loudly, refusing to acknowledge that she held any sort of love for her father. "And what the hell is wrong with your grandparents?! Your family is like an infectious disease!"

" _Our_ family, Amaya-chan," Honey said softly. "Please, I know you're hurting, but don't let heartache harden your heart, too."

Amaya crossed her arms. "I don't really want to talk about this right now."

"Takashi hasn't been doing great, either."

Amaya squeezed her eyes shut. More than anything, she wanted to know how Takashi was, but she couldn't allow herself the liberty of knowing. She still hurt from the break of their friendship, and she only hoped that the pain would fade with time.

"I don't want to talk about this, Honey."

"Please come home, Amaya-chan. We need you there."

"And I need to be here."

"Are you sure?" he asked quietly.

Amaya took a deep breath, holding back her tears. "Yes," she whispered.

* * *

As the months drifted by, Amaya found herself coping with her grief in different ways. She spent July traveling through Scandinavia. The weather couldn't have been better, but despite the natural beauty that surrounded her, she was angry and resentful.

By August, she made her way to Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium, and her anger and resent turned to recklessness. Her contact with members of the Host Club was minimal, and though she knew part of the lack of communication was due to her own negligence in answering her phone and her emails, she still felt abandoned by her friends. In this period, her rational thought dwindled and she picked up a variety of ill behaviors. In Germany, the availability of beer and her lack of exposure to alcohol made drunkenness an easily obtainable state. She knew it wasn't healthy, but she also didn't care. In the back of her mind, she was still holding on to the idea that Takashi would find her and save her from her reckless decisions, the way he always did. But every morning she woke up with a hangover, he wasn't there.

After spending her birthday alone, she finally reached out to Haruhi, who had continued to send her emails despite Amaya's lack of response. Amaya found solace in Haruhi's details of the Host Club, or rather, lack thereof. Tamaki had officially disbanded the Host Club and had disappeared from Ouran's social scene almost entirely. It was a follow up email from Haruhi that finally made Amaya rethink her actions, but it also made her spiral from recklessness into guilt.

Dear Amaya,

To answer your question, there has been no change with Tamaki-senpai. He still remains as elusive as ever after disbanding the Host Club, and I still can't quite figure out why, besides that his grandmother is involved. We're all worried about him. It doesn't seem like he talks to anyone outside of school, and not even Kyoya-senpai has all of the details of what's going on.

I've been thinking about what you said at the end of last school year. You asked me at one point if I would choose myself over Tamaki, and at the time I didn't understand what you meant. I think I get it now, though. Letting go of him and our friendship instead of fighting for it is the wrong thing to do. Perhaps I don't know what's best for him, but I know he's happiest when he's with us, so I can't give up on him. Plus, he shouldn't have to choose between his friends and his family. That's not right, so I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that choice isn't even an option.

I know you made that choice for Mori-senpai. I don't think it was right, either, regardless of whatever is going on with your families. He's unhappy, Amaya-senpai, and I know you are too. There's still time to fix what happened. You can still fight for him.

Anyway, you said you're going to Spain next, right? Did you know that Kyoya-senpai is traveling there? He said he'll be in Barcelona on some business for his family's company. You should meet him if you can!

I really hope you're having a great time traveling, but we really miss you, so come back and visit soon!

-Haruhi

Amaya read the message over and over again, contemplating the choice she made. How could she ever explain to Haruhi that her choice was meant to protect Takashi? How could she explain that her fight for him had already ended in a sound defeat? And still, she felt guilty. Maybe she shouldn't have chosen for Takashi. Maybe she should have given him the opportunity to choose instead. But either way, the choice would have ended in heartache. If Takashi had chosen his family, Amaya would feel more empty than she was now. If Takashi had chosen her, how much pain would he have, knowing that he willingly gave up on his family for a girl?

 _Besides_ , Amaya thought, sitting in a bar one night in France. _I don't have any fight left to give._

* * *

 _September_

Amaya sat in the lounge of an upscale hotel in Barcelona drinking a cup of coffee. It was still early; she had a feeling Kyoya would be late. Fifteen minutes past the hour, he walked through the door of the lounge and spotted her, flagging a server as he came to take his seat.

"I'll have a cappuccino, dry please."

"It's good to see you, Kyoya."

"Likewise. You seem to be quite busy on your travels. How's your liver doing?"

Amaya almost spit out her coffee. "It's fine," she managed to get out. "Seems like you've been traveling quite a bit, too?" she asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Well, I do have business here."

Amaya pressed him when he didn't elaborate. "What type of business? For your father's company, or personal?"

"A little of both, if you must know. I've been working on acquiring the patent for an experimental drug. If our company can acquire it, we have a buyer who is interested."

"Why can't the buyer go straight to the source?" Amaya wondered, sipping her coffee.

"We're selling at a loss," Kyoya replied. "That's where it's personal."

"Oh." Amaya sat in thought for a few seconds. "Does this have anything to do with Tamaki?"

Kyoya's eyes turned sharply toward her. "You're astute." He paused in thought. "You know, the Tokugawa family could do the same thing."

Amaya smirked. "If you mean playing a game of chess, manipulating another family politically, in business, or otherwise, I want no part of it."

"Amaya, you wound me. Some things I do for more than selfish reasons."

Amaya looked out the large windows that curved around the lounge. Parc Guell could be seen below. "I know you love Tamaki and the Host Club. You do things for them that lie outside the realm of selfishness. That's why I also know it's a lie that you're doing business in Barcelona. You came here for another reason."

"Whatever do you mean?" Kyoya asked, watching her carefully as he sipped his cappuccino.

"If you're looking for an experimental medicine, probably to treat a rare disease, it has most likely been acquired by one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. If that's the case, you should be visiting the United States or Germany, maybe Switzerland." She paused. "But I could also be totally off base," she added with a flair of nonchalance.

"Alright then, venture a guess as to why I'm here."

"I think you came all this way to see me," she said, leaning forward and looking him in the eye. "Maybe because you're worried about my habits, but more likely because you have information. What's going on at home, Kyoya?"

He set down his cup and gave her a smug look. "Mori-senpai has a fiancé."

Amaya immediately looked away. "That's not news," she said, but her heart had started racing.

"No, it's not. What is news is _who_ she is. She's Korean."

Amaya shook her head, finding herself avoiding eye contact. "What does that matter?"

"It's an interesting choice for the Haninozuka family. With the marriage comes a contract with Samsung, which will stake their claim in both the energy and technology sectors. There's a chance, however, that the whole thing may not work out."

Amaya snapped her head to Kyoya. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"As you well know, relations between South Korea and Japan haven't always been prolific. From what I hear, family members on her side aren't as keen on the marriage, given that the Haninozuka involvement in the military has perhaps had a...negative...impact on South Korea. Politically, both of our countries have taken huge strides forward, but there is a prejudice against the Haninozukas. Not unlike the prejudice they hold against you."

Amaya looked down into her cup. "Why are you telling me this?"

"The Morinozuka family is against this engagement as well. Akira-sama has made it clear that he does not support the union, and the tension between the families is higher than ever. There is a faction in both families that still think Takashi's marriage to you would be the best way forward, but to prove that to the Haninozukas, you need to be in Tokyo. You need to come home, Amaya."

She scoffed. "Kyoya, you're telling me something I've wanted to hear since the day that I left. You're telling me there's hope. But it's too late for that now. I want nothing to do with them. I love Takashi with all my heart, but the Haninozukas have shown me that love doesn't get you anywhere. Love doesn't matter. They are cold, calculating people, and have gotten everything they've ever wanted without an ounce of love in their hearts.

"Don't you see how ridiculous it all is?" she continued. "You're telling me that a marriage would simply cause all of these problems to disappear. That's just not true. Do you know what _would_ solve these problems?" Amaya was getting angry now. "My father standing up for himself to his parents, instead of letting them walk all over him. My father, acting like the true patriarch of the family. He says that he's accepted me as his daughter, but he has done nothing, not one thing, to prove that to me or to his parents. Words don't heal, Kyoya. 'I'm sorry' doesn't cut it this time.

"I don't even understand why the Morinozuka and Haninozuka families are as close as they are. If they were independent of each other, all of these things would be solved. Maybe that's another solution to this problem, too. But you know what isn't a solution? Me coming home."

Kyoya paused for a minute, interlacing his fingers. "You don't understand all of the intricacies in our families, and I don't blame you. You weren't raised this way, and I understand how hard it must be to grasp your role in all of this."

"What _role_ could I possibly have?" she asked haughtily.

"Did you know that Tamaki is illegitimate, as well? His father had an affair with a French woman while on business, and Tamaki was the result. He wasn't allowed in Japan until he turned fourteen, and even now his grandmother spurns him. However, he still understands that he has a role to play. He has never once given up on his family. He loves his mother, his father, and his grandmother equally, despite how cruelly the latter treats him.

"People always have the ability to change, but they need to have something or someone worth changing for. Your actions have already started changing the heart of your father. He accepts you, which is more than he did when you first arrived. You are a reason for the Haninozuka family to change."

Amaya sat in silence. "Kyoya, I let go," she finally said.

"Did you, now? I think your drinking problem might state otherwise."

Amaya gave him an insolent look. "I haven't been coping well, that's acknowledged, but I still let go."

"You can choose to grab ahold again."

Amaya looked out the window. "I'm not sure. These possibilities slipped away from me a long time ago, and I'm not sure I can."

* * *

 _December_

Dear Amaya,

I'm glad that you and Reiko-chan were able to meet in Cairo! She said that the tea place you picked out was amazing, and she also appreciated the tour on ancient Egyptian spells. She really likes you!

Father brought you up at dinner the other day, in front of grandmother and grandfather. He's trying, Amaya, even if he hasn't reached out to you yet.

Chika-chan is doing better about the whole situation. He and father have spent a lot of quality time together recently, but he's still warming up to the idea of having a new sister. I'm looking forward to when we can all spend time together. The Tokugawa family will allow that, right?

Chika and Satoshi also started an animal club at Ouran. It seems pretty popular with the girls! Since the Host Club officially disbanded, our clients have at least been appeased by the cute animals.

Takashi has invested himself pretty heavily into the college kendo club. I know I've mentioned this before, but he was pretty bent out of shape after losing to you, and now he's on a quest to train harder and be better. He has been brooding a lot recently, and even though I know he's trying his best to appear happy, he isn't.

I know you don't want to hear this, but Takashi is meeting his fiancé for the first time tonight. He's not happy about it, and neither is Akira-sama. We're still trying to figure out the best ways to absolve it.

Don't run away forever, Amaya-chan. I know somewhere, deep down, you haven't given up, and we need you here.

Lots of love,

Mitsukuni

* * *

 _February_

Dear Grandfather,

Have you ever spent time in India or Nepal? The regions there are beautiful. I think the mountains are more majestic here than I've ever seen, and the people have such a respect for nature. I've been enraptured by every culture I've seen on my travels, and I find myself unequivocally lost among each culture's history. I've been learning that everyone is the same…there's a part of humanity that is exactly the same no matter where you go. It is fascinating, however, to see how the same trends in human nature manifest into different culture.

I'm in Vietnam now, but I leave for Australia tomorrow and will head to South America after that for the coming months. I've always wanted to see the mountains of Patagonia and imagine the ancient civilizations in Machu Picchu. It's crazy how much time passes when there is so much to explore.

You'll be happy to know that I've decided what I want to study when I go to college in the fall. I want to go into conservation. I'm thinking a double major in art history and chemistry. I've been looking at graduate schools that specialize in conservation science, too. We'll see. What do you think about an internship at the Tokugawa Art Museum? I still think specializing in Japanese History would be ideal.

And yes, the rumors you heard are true. Takashi has met his fiancé a couple of times. I haven't heard many updates so as far as I know they've hit it off.

Grandpa, how is heartache supposed to feel? I'm now just a few months under a year from letting Takashi go, and it's still as raw as the day it happened. I hope his new fiancé makes him happy. I suppose if he's happy, I should be, too. Right? That was the whole point of letting him go? Wasn't it?

I know you can't give me the answers I want, but I still wish the emptiness would go away. I don't like admitting it, but I see him everywhere I go and he's still in the decisions that I'm making. I think I understand some of the loneliness that mama felt. She really loved Yorihisa, but she thought that leaving would be the best decision. Sometimes I wonder if it really was.

Love,

Amaya

* * *

 _March_

Dear Amaya,

I must apologize deeply for my lack of communication. You'll be happy to know, however, that the Host Club is now open again for business! I've been able to reconcile the situation with my parents and my grandmother. I've come to understand that she is a lovely woman.

Haruhi might have told you, but she and I have declared our feelings for one another. I'm a little nervous…I want to take her on the perfect date, but I'm so afraid that I'll mess things up! You don't have any suggestions, do you? Hikaru is incredibly bothersome in this regard. His actions are just making me more nervous because I know he'll have my head if I disappoint Haruhi.

This is also a secret between us, but Haruhi received a prestigious scholarship to study in the United States next year at a private school in Boston. She hasn't even found out yet, but it is an opportunity she can't pass up. This might put a wrinkle in our relationship, but I'm not yet willing to leave her side for a full year. Kyoya and I are already planning on studying abroad through Ouran University's sister school program so we can still all be together. You should come and visit us while we're there!

Seriously though, any help with Haruhi would be very welcome. I want to make our time together as special as possible.

Sending love,

Tamaki

* * *

 _April_

Dear Amaya,

It's official! I'll be moving to Boston this summer to get settled in before starting my year abroad. You'll have to give me some tips for living in the United States. Speaking of, did you decide on a U.S. college? Or are you coming back to Japan for school?

Your last round of pictures looked beautiful. You look so at ease in Brazil. Were those pictures of you doing…capoeira?

I'd love to hear another update.

-Haruhi

* * *

 _May_

Dear Amaya,

You'll never guess what happened. Tamaki has decided to move out to Boston with me. Can you believe how extravagant that is? To be honest though, I'm glad he's coming with me. We're going to get an apartment together, and he'll be studying at Harvard. I'm glad to hear you'll be nearby, too. You'll have to come and visit us!

-Haruhi

* * *

Dear Amaya,

We celebrated Takashi's birthday today. He requested a cheesecake, but I don't think our baker did quite the job that you do.

When are you coming home, Amaya-chan?

Love,

Mitsukuni

* * *

 _Late August_

Dear Amaya,

You've probably heard, but Mitsukuni moved to Boston for a year of study at MIT. I'm flying from Paris to visit him. I'll be in tonight, and I'll be spending a few weeks there. You should join me! I know you're not too far away. It has been what, over a year since you've seen him? I know he'd love to see you.

Regards,

Reiko

* * *

 _Early September_

 _What a year…_ Amaya thought to herself, looking up over her latte at the people that passed by on the street. Reiko's email had come a week earlier, and she had yet to respond.

She sat in a popular coffee shop in New York, working on her homework. She had been accepted to New York University and was now studying at their conservation center.

After a full year of traveling, she was excited to finally settle down in one place. She hadn't expected the entire Host Club to be so close, though. Given, it was still about a four-hour train ride to Boston, but that was way closer than Tokyo. So far, she had not ventured to see them.

 _It would be nice to see them though,_ she thought to herself. She had tried to keep in touch with most of them, but at some point the pain that continued to gnaw at her heart overwhelmed her and her communications dwindled with everyone, save her family, Honey, and surprisingly, Kyoya. After Amaya had heard that Tamaki and Haruhi had finally started dating, she couldn't bear to respond to the happiness that gushed through their emails. She knew she owed them an apology – jealousy had tightened its grip on her and it was not their fault.

Honey continued to give her updates on Takashi, even though she never asked for them. Amaya had altogether lost hope that she and Takashi would end up together, but somehow Honey had enough hope for the both of them.

Now, she was just numb. Kyoya was pragmatic enough to realize what she must be going through, and his companionship was helpful. She met up with him a couple more times throughout her travels after Barcelona, first in New Zealand and again in Peru. He was indispensable in helping her quickly kick her alcohol habit; he always seemed to check in on her when she managed to mess up badly. Every time they met, he suggested that she come home, that Takashi was not yet beyond her reach. Every time she refused. It had been so long that she was unsure Takashi felt the same way anymore. He never contacted her beyond that first message, "Why?" She knew she had hurt him when she left. Plus, even if he still had feelings for her, she feared that if she saw him again, they would repeat the mistakes that her mother and father made. She couldn't risk that, especially since he was engaged. It was too late.

Amaya pulled a bundle of letters from her bag and plopped them on the table next to her computer. She contemplated bringing them or burning them.

Throughout her travels, Amaya wrote letters to Takashi. There was at least one missive for the twenty-eight countries she visited, plus extras for when she felt particularly vulnerable. They all even had stamps from each country, because she had gone to the post office every time fully expecting to finally send one, but then never did. She wrote to him intimate details of her encounters with each culture, details of history and artifacts that she thought he would enjoy, personal reflections on how the people that she met were affecting her, and lessons that she learned along the way. It was almost a sort of diary, with details she hadn't told anyone else, but written with the man she was afraid to admit she still loved in mind.

She now had an invitation to see him, to see all of them again, and she knew that she needed to accept whether she wanted to or not. Reiko would probably be casting some sort of spell over her anyway. Traveling the world was supposed to be a way of finding herself again, and in some ways she had. But now, over a year later, she still wasn't coping well with the situation. If running wasn't the answer, facing it head on had to be.

Amaya tucked her hair behind her ear. It had grown just past shoulder length, and she had certainly gotten rid of her bangs. She looked up the train schedule to Boston on her computer before shutting it and gulping down the rest of her latte.

Amaya glanced back to the bundle of letters. She put them back in her bag and packed up, making a quick trip back to her apartment to pack a few things for the weekend.

As she was finishing packing her toiletries, she heard a knock on her door.

 _I don't have time for this,_ she thought to herself, glancing at the clock to check on how much time she had before the train she hoped to catch. She opened the door, and blanched. She had expected her neighbors or the postman, but instead, her father stood at the door.

"What the hell are you doing here?" were the first words out of her mouth, and she was so surprised by his appearance that she spoke them in English, not Japanese.

He looked sheepish at her outburst. "Fathers are supposed to help move their children in to college," he said, stammering through his words. Amaya sensed he was nervous. "I've not been a father to you," he said, "but I wanted to bring you a housewarming gift." He held up a small package in his hands. "I was hoping we could talk."

Amaya stood at the door, not knowing what to say. "How did you find me?" she asked accusatorially.

"Your uncle gave me the address." He continued after seeing her disbelieving expression. "More has progressed between our families in the past year than you think."

She stood for a good minute, staring at him. "Why now?"

"I'm still trying to figure that out, but it felt like the right time," he said softly. Finally, she moved aside and gestured him into her apartment.

"The right time was a long time ago," she said under her breath. "Would you like something to drink?" she asked louder, and forcefully, curious about his appearance but skeptical about the coming conversation.

"No, thank you."

She sat down on her sofa, looking at him expectantly.

"I'm sorry," he said after a long pause. He sat down in a chair opposite her. "Truly. I owe you a detailed explanation."

"About what?" she asked, more as a statement than a question.

"Everything," he said. "I can make no excuses for my behavior, but I have been learning this past year what it means to have strength."

Words from Amaya's first conversation with Honey on the train platform drifted back into her mind. She wasn't sure if she was ready to hear her father speak, but he launched into his story anyway.

"As a child, I was taught that mistakes were only for beginners. As a master in karate, a mistake was the difference between life and death. If one did make a mistake, one best have the physical strength to turn that mistake into an advantage, sometimes through brute force. I see now that while this was something I learned through martial arts, I applied it to every area of my life.

"When I slept with your mother, the shame of my mistake overtook the love that I had for her. That love turned to resentment, and this led to more dishonorable actions. Instead of accepting my mistake and turning it into a strength, I let it crush me under its weight. But, Kazu disappeared, and it was easy to pretend that what I had done never happened. Years later, when you came along, that shame filled every facet of my life again. So I denied it, as I had done for so many years. I have to admit it was easy to hate you, to place blame on someone other than myself. Your defiance for me kindled that hate, and I twisted the truth to benefit myself.

"What started to crack me was my son, Mitsukuni. A few years ago, before you came to Tokyo, he started to teach me what true strength was. To him, it was natural. Love the things you love and your confidence in yourself will make you stronger. I knew who I was at that time. When you appeared, I lost who I was in the shame and the hate.

"I never saw you as a person, just as a pest." He laughed. "I knew you felt it, too. You stayed away from me, if not from my son. The crack grew wider when you showed your care for Takashi during the Ouran Festival. He was more important to you than your concern with how I would treat you, and you came to me for help. You stayed by his side in the hospital. Not even Mitsukuni did that.

"My shame grew deeper when you found the Tokugawa family. I hid that from you, too, which was perhaps a worse sin than my original. You see this pattern," he told her. "Shame followed by hate in a vicious cycle. At some point my shame grew so deep that my outward anger and hate did nothing to protect my soul and I was filled with self-loathing. It's not easy to have a mid-life crisis so severe that you despise who you've become.

"The final crack was when I realized you won the tournament. I thought I had done enough to push you out, but when you spoke and I realized what lengths you went to to protect the Haninozuka family, despite all that I had done, my anger and hatred fizzled out like a candle quenched by the ocean."

Yorihisa took a deep breath and continued, his voice shaking as he tried not to get choked up.

"That night was one of the most crippling I've ever had. My hatred for you was gone, but it was redirected at myself. My self-loathing was so great I heavily considered giving up the family seat right then and there. Akira was my guiding light that night and convinced me to keep my place as the patriarch, but I was still fearful for what my parents would say. They are hard people, as you have experienced. They have no love for one another outside of the family business, but they did their duty to produce an heir. I have disappointed them in more ways than you know, but I gave them Mitsukuni and Yasuchika, which is some small redemption.

"I meant what I said that day, that I recognize you as my daughter. When I looked at you and Mitsukuni sitting together, I didn't see you. I saw myself and Kazu. She lived and loved brilliantly, despite her unhappiness in Tokyo. She and I had some truly remarkable times together. I pushed those times out of my memory soon after the shame of my actions took over, but in that split moment, seeing myself in Mitsukuni and Kazunomiya in you, I knew that Kazu and I had created something beautiful together. In the year that has followed I have come to learn that what we created does not detract from my love for Aiko, and that has lifted the anger and hate that I have felt towards myself."

He looked down at the package that was still in his hands.

"Change is not easy," he said. "It takes time and effort to be broken and to heal. But what is healed is stronger and better, and I have a better sense of who I am now than I ever did before. I have found a new strength this year, because I have found someone new worth living for."

He handed her the package. "I gave my parents Mitsukuni and Yasuchika," he repeated as she unwrapped a small box. "And I will give them another gift."

Amaya lifted the lid on the box and caught her breath. She touched the new ribbon and lifted the heavy medal out of the box, gazing at the beautiful enameling on the surface of the Haninozuka crest.

"I will give them you," her father said with finality.

Amaya looked from the medal she held in her hands to her father. Tears filled her eyes as her walls came tumbling down. "Why now?" she repeated. _It's too late._ All she could think about was Takashi. He was getting married to someone else. Having hope again was dangerous, because she was so tired of the heartache. She didn't know how much more of it she could handle.

Her father had not expected this response from her, but it soon dawned on him why she was so heartbroken. She still loved Takashi. Enough that she had removed herself in order that there be peace within the family. In the aftermath, no one fought hard enough for her to stay. If they had, perhaps she and Takashi would have been together. Yorihisa knew that 'ifs' were dangerous. If this, maybe... if that, maybe... he had played those ifs through his mind over and over and over again after Kazu disappeared the first time. They were part of what made him despise himself and harden his heart to Amaya in the first place.

He suddenly grew angry. He had spent three years working through a mid-life emotional crisis, and nothing good that was tangible had yet come of it. Now in full retrospect, he could see the path ahead of Amaya, and he didn't want her to turn out like he had. That was a path that would only wreak havoc for others.

"Go see him," he said.

Amaya looked down at her hands, then up at her father with a confused look. _Is it that obvious what I'm upset about?_ "It's too late," she said.

"He is not married yet," Yorihisa said firmly. "Go see him," he urged her, "then decide if there's hope or not."

* * *

A/N: Oh Amaya. I think I've put her through a lot, especially with that last chapter. I can't imagine her not starting to harden, so I wanted to bring around a little bit of resolution here. I like to think that she and her father have more in common by way of experience than she yet knows. She wants more than anything to avoid repeating the actions of her parents, because she's lived the consequences. But now, Yorihisa, in retrospect of all his experience, sees that she might be on the verge of making a worse mistake: hardening herself to love.

At least, that's how I imagine this. I've imagined whole backstories for these adult characters and I think there's a lot of richness in those that doesn't necessarily come through in the story.

Anyway, thanks for the follows, favorites, and reviews! I really, really enjoy reading your responses to the chapters and what you think. Sorry for all the tears in the last chapter...kind of. Shoutouts to infinityneverlasts, animefreak112097, angelvoice15, Irissiell, BlackDove WhiteDove, gossamermouse101, mamabug, slucky13, Florecilla, Toreh, AmericanNidiot, naes151, and Kuroshi Ansatsusha87.


	21. Hope on the Horizon

Amaya sat on a late train, watching the sunset through the window. She would reach Boston after dark.

Her meeting with her father astounded her. It was hard to believe that after all this time he was really on her side, but at least this felt more representative of the man her mother had fallen in love with. Amaya still believed her mother had good judgement.

Nervousness bubbled inside her as the train pulled into Boston. She double checked the address on her phone and hailed a cab, which dropped her off in front of an upscale apartment complex. She took a deep breath and walked inside, heading up a set of stairs to the second floor. She heard music coming down the hall; someone was throwing a party. After knocking and finding no response at Haruhi and Tamaki's apartment, she meandered down the hall to find the adjacent ones. She knocked on Kyoya's door, no response. Next door to him was Honey and Takashi, but for the time being she passed it by, not ready to face them yet. Finally, she tried the twins. She discovered that the loud music drifting down the hall was coming from their apartment, but when she knocked there was no answer, either. She tried the door knob and found it unlocked, so she turned it and walked in. Her jaw dropped.

The place was packed. Music was blaring and people were dancing, girls and guys packed close together like sardines in the living room. Amaya felt out of place in her leggings and sneakers amidst the girls in too much make-up, skirts, and heels. All the guys were wearing name-brand button down tops or polos and pastel colored shorts. Everyone was holding red solo cups filled with liquid. These were all rich American kids.

Amaya didn't recognize anyone. _Is it really like Hikaru and Kaoru to throw a party like this?_ she thought. Perhaps the Host Club had switched their business practices with the change in culture. A couple of girls gave her a judgmental look before turning away to gossip, and Amaya suddenly felt self-conscious. She turned toward the kitchen, finally noticing the greek letters on a custom beer pong table. Relief washed over her. _I must be in the wrong apartment,_ she thought.

Before she could leave, two taller guys stepped in front of her. She smelled alcohol on their breath and her stomach recoiled.

"Hey, you okay?" one of the guys asked her. "You're looking a little out of place."

"Yeah," she said warily. "Do Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin live here?"

The boys looked at each other. "You mean that crazy group of Asian kids that moved in?" One of the guys slapped his hand on his head as if everything now made sense. "Of course you're with them!"

Amaya narrowed her eyes. She wasn't fond of being stereotyped.

"Yeah, this isn't their place. The Asian twins live across the way in 223 I think. But hey, you're welcome to stay and party with us for a while, we've got plenty of beer."

"No, I'll pass," she said, "but thanks for the offer."

She turned away from the guys and made her way back to the door, but not before another huge, muscular guy blocked her path.

"Where you think you're going, China doll?"

"Wrong apartment, sorry," she said, giving him a disdainful glare. He flexed in front of her and she could smell the fetid beer on his breath.

"No, beautiful, you're in the right one," he responded, totally ignorant of her body language. "It's your lucky day. I'm fishing and you look like you're ready to be caught."

He tried to put his arm around her, but she ducked under it and twisted out of his reach toward the door, disgusted.

"Hard pass," she said as she slipped out of the apartment. She reached in her bag to pull out her phone so she could double check the apartment numbers that Reiko had sent her.

"Hey!"

She turned just in time to see the big guy stumble out of the party apartment behind her.

"No one walks away from me!" he said loudly. He was heavily intoxicated.

"I just did," she retorted, heading to the stairs to leave the apartment complex altogether. She wasn't about to deal with this.

He reached out his long arm and managed to grab ahold of her hair, yanking her back and flinging her sideways against an apartment door. She grimaced, feeling the doorknob slam into her side. She saw his hand coming, but she couldn't get out of the way before it wrapped around her neck and pinned her against the door.

"What did you just say?" he asked.

Amaya looked into his eyes, which he could hardly keep open. They were glazed over. She recognized something in them, something she knew from her own experience. Amaya had only blacked out a couple of times from her binges, but it was enough to make her realize what she was doing was stupid. There was intense fear the morning after from being unable to remember details of the night before, and with that was always an emptiness in her eyes when she stared at herself in the mirror. She saw that emptiness in this guy's eyes as well, and had a feeling he wouldn't remember this the next day. It didn't make him any less dangerous.

"Amaya-chan?"

A voice she recognized came from further down the hall. The guy who had her pinned to the wall turned his head to see where the sound was coming from. It was his mistake. Amaya kneed him in the groin and pushed him away with enough force that he slammed into the wall behind him. Apparently she hadn't hit him hard enough, or perhaps the alcohol was making him bold, but he swung out his long arms and hit her face. The impact caused her head to fly into the doorjamb and she stumbled, falling to her knees. An intense ringing drowned out all sound as she gasped in pain. In slow motion, she saw styrofoam containers drop to the floor, rice and soup spilling everywhere, as feet came running towards her. One pair of feet blew past her, tackling the drunk guy to the ground.

She tried to turn and speak, but her ears were still ringing. She put her hand to her temples and touched something wet. When she pulled her hand away, there was blood on her fingers. Tamaki and the twins were trying to help her up, but she pulled from their grasp and turned toward Takashi. He was pounding her assailant, who was now unconscious and had a bloodied face as well.

"Takashi!" she yelled, but she couldn't hear her own voice. She grabbed at his hands, trying to keep him from killing the guy who had attacked her. She couldn't stop him from behind, so she tried to get in front of him. People from the party, upon hearing the commotion, were now streaming into the hallway. She saw someone dial three numbers on a cell phone, while someone else was filming the drama.

"Takashi!" she yelled again, her voice still muffled in her own ears. At her voice, he paused long enough for her to push him off. He surveyed the scene and gave the unconscious guy a look of disgust. He stood up and turned his back on Amaya, stalking off down the hall and shaking blood from his hands. Red drops spattered on the white walls as he went. Before she could blink, he had disappeared down the stairwell.

Amaya still sat on her knees, looking at the chaos in every direction. She was lightheaded, but she could see that Haruhi and Honey were both trying to get her attention. She couldn't differentiate their voices from the roar of people in the hallway. She pinched her eyes shut, trying to focus on Honey's voice.

"Is he still breathing?" she thought she asked. Kyoya gave her a confused look, but he leaned down and checked the guy's pulse. He nodded an affirmative.

She sighed in relief, knowing that Takashi wouldn't be charged with murder, before leaning over and throwing up.

* * *

"She's got a pretty bad concussion and a bruised rib, but with rest she should be okay. She's passed the danger zone, but if she continues having these symptoms, she needs to see a doctor."

They were all in Takashi and Mitsukuni's apartment, and Amaya was asleep in Takashi's room. The EMT who showed up didn't think she needed to be taken to the hospital, but the other guy had been loaded up into the ambulance and hauled off. The police had taken everyone's statement but Amaya's. When they talked to her after the incident, all she could remember was being thrown twice against the door and the free fall of rice and soup. Thankfully, the apartment complex was swanky enough to have video cameras in all of the hallways, so there would be no question as to what actually happened.

Reiko shut the door after the EMT.

"Well, I suppose we should find something to eat," Haruhi began, stomach growling.

"Already one step ahead of you," Tamaki stated as a new knock came to the door. He opened it, revealing a delivery man with replacements for the food that now decorated the carpet in the hallway.

Kyoya stood at the window, watching the last of the red and blue lights pull out of the parking lot. Takashi came and joined him. While everyone else was filling up plates with food, he was brooding.

"Why did she come here?" he asked, loud enough for the room to hear. He knew that eventually she would come, but he still felt profoundly unprepared at her sudden appearance.

"Ahem," said a quiet voice. "I invited her about a week ago," Reiko admitted. "I thought if she knew I was coming, she would, too. She's not that far away."

"Yes," he said, his face betraying more emotion than usual, "but why now, and why didn't she tell any of us that she was coming? If we were here when she arrived, none of this would have happened."

"She's not that communicative anymore," Kyoya said.

"Yeah," agreed Haruhi. "It's rare that she'll even answer my emails."

Silence and the rustling of chopsticks filled the room.

Takashi suddenly turned on Kyoya. "I thought you said that she was doing fine!" he said quietly. "Are you absolutely sure that nothing like this happened to her while she was traveling?"

"She _was_ doing fine, physically, at least," Kyoya responded, equally concerned about Amaya. "Enough that I didn't feel the need to check in on her after Peru. My bodyguards would have interceded if something like this happened."

"What are you two talking about?" Haruhi asked, biting a piece of shrimp.

Kyoya and Takashi exchanged looks. Takashi answered her. "I'm concerned that something like this may have happened on her travels."

"And I'm assuring him that they didn't," Kyoya told Haruhi, with a tone of voice that told Takashi to shut up.

"Woah, that'd be terrible," Hikaru said.

"But Amaya's super responsible," Kaoru continued.

Kyoya and Takashi exchanged another worried look. They had extensively discussed Amaya's reckless behaviors, and it had taken everything in Takashi's power not to go after her himself.

"Yeah, she certainly kicked _your_ ass," Mitsukuni said, pointing his chopsticks at Takashi.

"Then how did this guy catch her off her guard?" he responded, anger lacing his tone unintentionally. When he saw Amaya hit the wall and collapse like a rag doll, he was so blinded by rage that he would have pounded the guy beyond recognition, if she hadn't stopped him. It was still his worst nightmare, that Amaya would find herself in a situation like this and he wouldn't be there to protect her.

Takashi sat down on the couch and buried his head in his hands. He couldn't help but think that he'd had a large part to play in the behaviors that Amaya had picked up, and he hated feeling like he was helpless. Everything he'd worked hard for over the past year felt like it was falling to pieces. His precarious balance was on the verge of collapse.

Tamaki put his hand on Takashi's shoulder, pushing a plate of food into his hands. "You'll feel better after you eat," he said. "And remember, she's here. She came. That says a lot."

Later that evening, after everyone had retired, Takashi found that he couldn't sleep. It didn't help that the couch was a little too small for him, but his mind played the situation in the hallway over and over again. Drifting in and out of this scene were the highs and lows of the past year. What a long year it had been. After Amaya left Tokyo, he felt crushed. He had fought so hard for her, only to lose. Although losing to Amaya had seemed the best scenario at the time, her decision to leave left him devastated. It was so final and so sudden that he was left with an intense emptiness. The worst part was that, with the hand the Haninozuka's played, he felt trapped with no way out of the nightmare. There were very few times in his life when he had felt out of options. The last time he could remember was when his mother died. It, too, was sudden, final, and left him empty with no way to get her back.

But once again, it was his best friend, Mitsukuni, who helped pull him out of the dark. Takashi had watched Mitsukuni grow that year, ever becoming the mediator between the battling members in their families. Mitsukuni convinced him that there was still something worth fighting for, that Amaya's decision didn't dictate the end of it all. So, Takashi kept moving forward. His battle for Amaya started with a focus on his schooling and in finding a way out of his marriage. Takashi respected Amaya's decision to leave too much to go after her himself, but he still needed to know that she was safe, so he asked Kyoya to follow her.

Takashi rolled over on the couch and groaned. If Amaya found out, she'd be so angry at the breach in privacy, but he still felt bad for lying to her.

Another immediate situation weaseled its way into his head. His impending marriage to Minyung, the Korean heiress, was another predicament altogether. Why the Haninozuka elders had chosen her, he had no idea. There were so many reasons why the match was bad, although he supposed the few benefits were large enough to entice both her family and his.

Their meetings were less than enjoyable. It was clear from all parties that the marriage was a business deal, and both he and Minyung were expected to fulfill their duties for the good of their families. In Takashi's case, he had no choice. His grandparents had signed a binding contract with the Haninozuka family. It wasn't truly binding, since Takashi had autonomy since coming of age, but it certainly stipulated legitimacy to becoming head of the family.

 _Head of the family_. Takashi and Mitsukuni had dreamed of being the heads of their families since they were children. Throughout the past year, they'd talked together extensively about the issues that plagued the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families. They knew what they would change once they were at the helm, but that necessitated that both Mitsukuni AND Takashi were patriarchs...which at the moment, meant no Amaya.

Takashi couldn't give up on that dream that he shared with his best friend, but neither could he forget about girl that he loved. He felt that she would be the perfect partner for his future and would be more of an asset to their family than Minyung, but the prejudice against her birth was enough to negate that, according to the older generation of the family.

However, for the past few months, a nagging feeling at the back of his mind kept telling him that there was another way forward. He sat up on the couch, pushing his fingers through his hair and sighing.

He got up and went to his bedroom, quietly opening the door. Amaya was still sleeping peacefully. He watched her for a second before walking over to his desk and sitting down. He flipped on a small light and woke up his desktop computer to keep working. He had a huge number of tabs open on his web browser, all relating to Japanese law, some historical documents about the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families, and his fiancé's family background. He slid on a pair of glasses and started reading. He was looking for anything and everything that could point toward a reason for his impending marriage to fail...anything to keep him from marrying Minyung. Three months in, however, and he had found no holes.

At about 3 AM he heard a rustling behind him.

"She's pretty," Amaya said softly.

Takashi frowned, then realized that his fiancé Minyung's picture was open in a window on his computer screen. He sighed, closed the tab, and swiveled around in his chair to look at her. She was as beautiful as he remembered, if not more. _Distance makes the heart grow fonder_ , he thought ruefully. Her hair had grown back, and despite the bandage on her forehead, her features looked more prominent and defined. What struck him, though, were her eyes. He had always been awed by her eyes, so inquisitive and full of admiration. They were always expressive, giving away her every emotion. Now, though, they looked naturally wary, jaded. They were the same eyes, those Haninozuka eyes, but they had lost their light.

"You don't need to hide her from me," Amaya said, pushing herself up on the bed and wincing. "Do you have any painkillers?"

He pointed to the bedside table, where a bottle of acetaminophen and a glass of water waited for her. She gulped the pills down eagerly.

"Since when do you wear glasses?" she asked.

He took the glasses off of his face and looked at them before setting them aside. "I don't," he replied. "These filter out blue light to prevent strain. How do you feel?"

"Like my head got smashed with a ton of bricks," she said. "But honestly, I've felt worse."

They sat in silence, neither one knowing what to say.

"How have you been?" she finally asked, a little hesitantly.

He didn't answer her immediately. He debated how to answer. Should he still be angry? His anger at her dissipated a long time ago, when he forgave her for leaving. Should he be apologetic? About their predicament, his impending marriage, for basically spying on her for a year? _Yes, but not yet._ Should he act as if nothing had changed? Acknowledge all of his feelings and kiss her right then and there? The ensuing situation would leave Amaya wide open once again for the scrutiny of his family. _No, not that._ And in truth, how had he been doing the past year? Maybe he should start with the truth.

"Not well," he said. "You?"

"Pretty terrible." She took a deep breath and paused.

"I think I made a mistake," she said, a frown on her face. She flung back the blankets. "I shouldn't have come here," she said, standing up. As soon as she stood, she wobbled a little, dizzy from the concussion and immediate rush to the head.

Takashi was out of his chair in an instant, holding on to her to make sure she didn't fall over. Her eyes were scrunched together as she tried not to cry. "I don't want to feel this anymore," she whispered, her voice cracking.

"Feel what?" Takashi asked, sitting her back down on the bed and holding her close.

"I was supposed to let you go," she said. "I was supposed to move on. That's what leaving was for."

"Then why did you come?"

She glanced at him sheepishly. He lifted his eyebrows, prompting her on. She spilled the entire story about her father's visit and how he encouraged her to see him. "It was so strange," she said. "I can't believe I listened to him. It has just turned into a mess, like everything else I touch."

Amaya looked up and angrily wiped tears from her eyes. "I _knew_ I would feel this way, but I came anyway. Everyone has moved on and life is perfect. You're all studying abroad together thanks to the fact that Haruhi and Tamaki are in love. Mitsukuni and Reiko are a happy couple, and you've got a beautiful fiancé. I'm trying and failing to move on with my life, and I obviously don't belong anymore."

"Amaya," Takashi said softly, concerned by her lack of confidence in herself. This was not the Amaya he remembered leaving. She was broken down, convinced that she meant nothing to anyone, and full of regret. He wished he could eloquently tell her how beautiful she was, but he never had the right words to say.

Instead, he tilted her face upwards and met her lips with his to stifle her tears. He held her there longer than he intended, caught up in the sweetness of her lips. When he broke away, he saw the bewildered expression on her face.

"I didn't say I was doing well, either," he explained. "You will always belong." _I should have reached out sooner_ , he thought to himself as he pulled her closer in an embrace. "You still have friends who love you."

He held her in silence for a moment while she mulled over his words. He was savoring the touch of her lips. It just felt _right_.

"If..." she began hesitantly. "If you still feel that way...why didn't you ever come after me?"

"I couldn't," he said, _b_ _ut I was with you the whole time._

"Why not?" Amaya asked. "Because of her?" She nodded to the computer screen. "Are you really happy with her?"

" _You_ made the decision to leave, Amaya. 'It's my turn to protect you,' you said. I needed to respect that, even if I didn't like it." He buried his face in her hair, breathing in the faint scent of cherry blossoms. "Amaya, had you contacted me just once, I would have dropped everything and found you."

Suddenly, her shoulders began to shake. Takashi knew she was starting to sob. She pushed away from him and stood up again. Still in tears, she got her bag and pulled out a stack of letters that she tossed toward him.

Takashi looked at the stack, frowning. He untied the twine that held them neatly together, flipping through them slowly. All the letters were sealed, stamped, and addressed...to him. There were easily over twenty in the stack.

"I couldn't bring myself to send them," she said, barely more than a whisper. "I didn't think that you'd want to see me or hear from me after I left."

He stared at her, wondering how much could have been avoided if they hadn't had this egregious miscommunication. He looked down at the letters, noticing a small date in the corner of each letter by the stamp. He moved back to his desk, quickly finding the earliest date. It was dated the day after the family summit. He flipped it over and started to rip open the envelope, then paused.

"May I?" he asked, looking to where Amaya still stood. She nodded.

Takashi finished opening the missive and began fervently reading. When he reached the end of the first letter, he turned around, but Amaya was gone. He had been so engrossed in her words that he didn't hear her leave the room. He had so many questions for her, but instead he searched for the next letter, slicing the envelope open.

Had anyone overheard Takashi in those early morning hours, they would have hardly recognized him as the silent, reserved type. The letters that he read, one after another, elicited such a response from him that he became quite vocal, laughing out loud, crying audibly, and producing a variety of short exclamations. Some might suspect that exhaustion played a small part in his emotional response to Amaya's writing, but they would be wrong. The next day, he would remember the content of those letters in crisp detail.

Takashi finished the last letter, only then realizing that the sun was starting rising. He glanced at his clock; it was just after 6 AM. He looked over the scattered envelopes on his desk. _She's perfect,_ he thought to himself. The letters were so incredibly intimate that Takashi felt like he had been with her on her travels. He felt like he knew her again, and despite her current lack of confidence, he had fallen in love with her more deeply than before. He felt the dire urge to protect her and to keep her safe once again.

The very first letter was riddled with heartbreak, but also confidence in the decision she had made to let him go. She had never wanted to make him choose between her or his family, and her intention was to protect him from feeling guilt over either decision. It was a truly admirable thing. In the following letters, however, he could see that doubt in her decision seeped into her mind. Small conversations with people in shops or observations of interactions between people on the streets throughout the countries that she visited often made her reflect on love, happiness, self-worth, sadness, broken hearts, and life's purpose. Her frequent binges were a result of not just heartbreak, but of an existential crisis with no outlet and no support. Her writing, although still detailing the beauty and intricacies of culture in each place she visited, grew pessimistic as the months continued. She grew lonely. She learned of the importance of interactions with people, and more than once a small word from a stranger stopped her from picking up another drink or doing something she would later regret.

The last letter was a reflection on the beauty of sorrow. 'There's something beautiful in the pain,' she wrote, 'Knowing that I've loved so fiercely to hurt this much...it's incredible knowing that I am capable of that kind of love. I've seen so many who have been faced with adversity so severe that they feel they can't go on, and yet they still find something worth living for. My mother, for example. If this is what she felt when she ripped herself away from my father for his own well-being, then she is a better woman than I. She was able to find the blossoms of hope within the most barren of places. Perhaps someday I'll find that type of hope.'

Suddenly, Takashi stood from his chair, a surge of worry ripping through him. Amaya had left the room three hours ago and he didn't know where she was.

He burst from his room, scanning the apartment for her. She wasn't in the living room. He checked the front door. It was still locked, so she hadn't left. He glanced out toward the balcony and sighed in relief. She was curled up and bundled in a blanket, sitting on the double chaise lounge chair that Mitsukuni had insisted on purchasing for their apartment. She was sipping a steaming cup of tea and watching the sun rise. He stepped out onto the balcony, joining her.

"I wish I had followed you," he said, gazing out across the colors that were streaming light into the darkness.

Amaya didn't answer him. _I should tell her..._ he thought.

"I sent Kyoya instead."

This admission caused Amaya to turn sharply toward him. "What?" she asked.

"I asked Kyoya if he would follow you," Takashi admitted, embarrassed. "He had one of his bodyguards trailing you after Russia."

"Oh," came her response, followed by more silence. She turned back toward the sunshine. Takashi was confused. He had expected her to be angry for violating her privacy, but she seemed resigned.

"Thank you," she finally said.

"Why?" he asked, this time turning to look at her.

"To be honest, I've missed your protectiveness. I know I'm capable of doing a lot of things on my own..."

"You certainly kicked my ass..." Takashi interjected, repeating Mitsukuni's statement from earlier.

"I certainly did," she agreed, laughing a little. "But there's a difference. I realized, somewhere along the way, that you protected me not because I was weak and because I needed it, but because you actually care.

"I did a lot of stupid things abroad," she continued. "Mostly hoping you would show up like you always do." She looked away, a slight smile gracing her face. "But this means that you were always there. I should have known."

Takashi looked at her, taking in the radiance of her face as the sunlight poured over the balcony. His heart started fluttering at the look in her eyes, and he felt the urge to kiss her again. As he leaned forward, he heard the door to the balcony slide open. He pulled back abruptly to find that Mitsukuni was joining them.

"You two are up early."

"Takashi didn't actually sleep," Amaya said, a smirk on her face as she glanced at Mitsukuni.

"You've really been up all night, Takashi?" Mitsukuni asked, rubbing his sleepy eyes in the most adorable way. Seeing his friend so vulnerable made Takashi's heart melt, and he scooted closer to Amaya so that Mitsukuni could join them on the lounge chair.

"The couch isn't long enough for me," he said blandly. Mitsukuni giggled.

The three of them watched the sunrise in silence, and Takashi felt contentment in his heart. He was sitting between the two people he loved most in life, and for that moment, everything felt right with the world.

After the sun reached a point above the horizon, Mitsukuni yawned. "I think I'm gonna go back to bed," he said. "You two should get some sleep too. Haru-chan and Tama-chan want to go to the farmer's market this afternoon before they shut down for the winter."

Amaya leaned her head on Takashi's shoulder, stifling a yawn herself.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her, noting that the bandage on her forehead needed to be changed.

"Happy, for once," she said. "I wish it could be this way all the time."

"Me too," he replied. "We should sleep."

"Ok."

Takashi took her hand in his and led her to his bedroom, where she immediately crawled into her original position. Much to her surprise, he pulled the comforter back and climbed in the bed after her, curling his own body around hers and wrapping her in his arms. He felt her heartbeat quicken.

"You're not staying on the couch?" she asked.

"Would you prefer that I did?"

She giggled nervously. "No."

"Goodnight, Amaya."

"Good _morning_ , Takashi."

The two fell asleep within minutes.

* * *

Takashi woke in the early afternoon feeling much more refreshed. Amaya was no longer in the bed, so he stood and stretched his long limbs, yawning. The apartment sounded quiet, and when he went to the kitchen he found a note saying that Amaya, Reiko, and Mitsukuni had gone to the farmer's market without him. He went back to his room and took a hot shower, rinsing the weariness from his bones. He pulled on a pair of jeans and a plain black shirt when he heard the door open and familiar voices fill the apartment once again.

He walked out of his room, drying his hair with a towel. Amaya caught his eye and smiled. He grinned. She had this way of being beautiful even when she looked terrible. The bandage was gone from her forehead, revealing a dark scab, and the area around one of her eyes was definitely turning black. However, her eyes were no longer jaded. They were bright again, just like he remembered. He adored it.

"Mori-senpai, you're finally awake!" Haruhi exclaimed, giving him a smile. "We thought we'd make pizzas with the fresh vegetables we bought today."

Takashi's stomach grumbled loudly in response.

Tamaki scoffed, crossing his arms and tapping his foot. "I don't understand how you think arugula is an appropriate pizza topping," he told her. "Nobody wants to eat a salad on top of their pizza."

"The Italians sure seemed to like it," Amaya said.

The door opened again and in popped the twins with Kyoya in tow.

"We heard you're making pizza?" Hikaru and Kaoru said in unison.

"I hope you bought arugula," Kyoya stated, pushing his glasses up his nose before crossing his arms. "I'm such a fan of arugula and prosciutto on pizza."

Haruhi stuck her tongue out at Tamaki.

"I want lots of black olives on mine," Reiko stated. "And no cheese."

"Put Reiko-chan's extra cheese on mine!" giggled Mitsukuni.

"What if everyone just makes their own pizza?" Haruhi asked, pulling out flour to make the dough. "It'll just be easier that way."

Amaya helped Haruhi in the kitchen, shooing away the boys who had no idea what they were doing. They made a huge batch of dough and sat down, waiting for it to rise.

"Amaya-chan, I want to hear more about your travels!" Mitsukuni said, plopping down on the couch next to her.

"Okay," she smiled. "What do you want to know? I feel like all of you are world travelers yourselves..."

"Hardly," Haruhi said drily. "They certainly don't travel like you do."

"Have any of you stayed in a hostel before?" Amaya asked.

"What's a hostel?" Hikaru wondered.

Amaya launched into hostel story after hostel story, telling them about the people she met and the adventures she went on until all the pizzas were made and baked. Tamaki in particular seemed both enthralled and horrified at the types of 'conditions' that Amaya had spent her time in, but she insisted that it was the only true way to experience a culture.

Takashi smiled to himself, enjoying the way that Amaya grew animated when she was passionate about something. She was happy, and he was thrilled to see joy in her eyes once again. This was the way it was supposed to be.

They sat together at the table, eating and exchanging stories of times traveling abroad, fully content. At the end of the meal, Amaya excused herself to go to use the bathroom and slipped into Takashi's room. He was clearing the table when an angry knock came to the door. Everyone in the room paused.

Takashi answered the door. He blinked in surprise, totally lost for words. His fiancé was standing at the door, with two body guards in tow. "Damn it..." he muttered. _I can't believe I forgot._

"Yeah, damn it," she said, a disgruntled look on her face. "You know what day it is, right?"

"September 10," he replied. He ground his teeth together and grimaced. Inside his head, strings of profanity shouted themselves at the walls of his skull, but he dared not let another one slip. It was September 10, the date set aside for his next 'courtship' meeting with Minyung. He had completely spaced it with Amaya's arrival. He was supposed to have met her at the airport, and they were supposed to be dining together by now. He wondered why she hadn't called him, but then remembered that his phone was still on his desk in the bedroom.

"I called," she said, as if reading his mind. "Five times. Thank you, for so kindly welcoming me to Boston," she stated sarcastically, stepping past him and into the apartment. She looked at the empty dishes on the table. "I see you forgot about our dinner plans."

"I apologize," he said stiffly.

"Minyung! I didn't know you were coming to Boston," Mitsukuni said, stepping forward with his most welcoming face on, trying to dispel the tension she had created. He glanced hesitantly at Takashi. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you," she said, glancing around the apartment and finding it to her distaste. "I can't believe you live here. I never would have considered that you'd choose somewhere where blood and vomit lines the halls." She looked to each member of the Host Club before turning back to Takashi. "Well? Why are we still standing here? You have the agenda for the evening, certainly?" Displeasure dripped through every word.

Takashi nodded, glancing toward his bedroom. Amaya had yet to emerge. "Let me change," he said.

"I can't believe you're going to be my husband," she muttered.

 _Likewise..._ he thought.

He quickly walked to his bedroom, quietly shutting the door behind him. When he turned around, Amaya was standing there, a blank expression on her face. Her eyes were wide and fearful, once again filled with the darkness he longed to dispel. It made his heart crumble as the perfect afternoon was smashed to pieces. He knew he didn't have a lot of time before Minyung wondered what he was up to, but he needed to right this situation somehow. He did the first thing that came to mind. He took Amaya by the shoulders and forced her eyes to meet his.

"I love you," he said, firmly and fiercely. After a long moment he let go, quickly searching his closet for an appropriate outfit and tossing the one he wanted on his bed. He pulled a dark blue button-down over his black T-shirt, fumbling with the buttons and swearing out loud. He was nervous, and anxiety rushed through him as he considered how he would ever fix this situation. Tears sprang to his own eyes as he considered how hopeless the situation actually was. He groaned in frustration and anger, dropping his hands as he considered giving up. _I couldn't have chosen a better way to disappoint Amaya. How did I forget that she was coming today?!_

"Takashi," Amaya whispered, walking toward him. She gently took his hand in hers, squeezing it and giving him the most reassuring look she could muster. It didn't convince him. She started buttoning his shirt for him, her hands moving deftly where his had failed. "Tuck it in," she commanded. She turned back to the closet while he obliged. She returned with a tie, which she skillfully twisted into a half-winsor, and handed him a vest.

"Roll up your sleeves," she whispered. She once again went to the closet for a pair of dress shoes, tossing them to him, and finally returned with a pocket square. When he was dressed, he stood up.

"You look dapper."

"Amaya," he said, wishing to erase this whole stain from their weekend together. "I-"

"I love you, too," she said, cutting him off and giving him a small smile.

He kissed her forehead and left the room, giving her a final glance. Upon exiting, Minyung gave him a once over, looking bored. "No accessories?" she asked.

Takashi sighed and turned on his heel back to his bedroom.

"Accessories?" Amaya whispered, exasperated at this woman who was supposed to be Takashi's fiancé. "The pocket square isn't enough?"

Takashi opened the top drawer of his dresser, revealing a choice of watches. Staring at them, a thought popped into his head, along with a hint of confidence. He fastened a watch on his wrist and turned toward her.

"How long would you wait for me?" he asked slowly, thoughts continuing to form and churn in his head.

"For you, forever," she breathed, not even hesitating.

Takashi blinked, then smiled. "I would never ask you to wait forever," he told her. "What about four years?"

Amaya frowned, confused. "What are you talking about? You're supposed to marry when you graduate."

It was true. Takashi was to marry Minyung after he graduated, but he intended that timeline to include his graduate degree in law. However, the scenario that he imagined in his head looked drastically different.

"I'm not marrying Minyung," he stated. A surge of confidence at the statement sent a rush of blood to his head.

Amaya stared at him, awed. Tendrils of nervous anticipation unfurled inside of her. "How?!" she exclaimed loudly. She clapped her hands over her mouth in fear, but Takashi pretended to cough, covering up the noise. Amaya bit her lip and looked away, trying not to laugh.

"I don't know..." he admitted, smiling. "But I'm going to find a way. I fought for you once, and I lost. I'm not going to lose you again." He pulled her close to him once more, giving her a bold and daring kiss before leaving the room for the last time.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading this chapter! This chapter was really difficult to write because this really marks the start of the final arc, and I've had a couple of ideas for the ending. But go figure, three-quarters of the way into this chapter a third, and what I think is a more organic, idea for the end popped into my head and then I rewrote most of this to reflect that. I now have plans for three more chapters (covering four years) and an epilogue. Thanks as always for sticking through this with me.

I hope this gave some more insight into Takashi's perspective. I know it's not the most detailed perspective of the year from the Haninozuka/Morinozuka standpoints, but I felt we needed to see the resolution between Amaya and her beau. The next chapter should describe some of the other family perspectives, as they'll all be thrown together again. Also, don't go hatin' on Minyung quite yet...she's got her own set of demons she's dealing with.

Thank you so much to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed! Shoutouts to BlackDove WhiteDove, Mamabug, gossamermouse101, Avalongirl55, slucky13, AmericanNidiot, and Elizabeth B-Lover. You all make me feel good about writing. I'm glad I have such a nice audience to practice my storytelling with!


	22. Missed Communication

Amaya held a sturdy, black and gold card in one hand.

 **Together with their families**

 **Mitsukuni Haninozuka and Reiko Kanazuki**

 **Request the honor of your presence at their wedding celebration**

She looked to her other hand, which held a handwritten note from Reiko.

 _Dear Amaya,_

 _Will you be my maid of honor?_

 _Reiko_

She glanced from one note to the other, both thrilled and terrified at the same time. Sighing, she tucked the cards into the pocket of her jacket and stepped foot onto the grounds of the Haninozuka compound for the first time in over two years. It was the day before the wedding, and she had just arrived for the rehearsal.

The late summer sun streamed through the trees. Her friends had since moved back to Tokyo after their year abroad while she remained to finish her degree in New York. Her reunion with her friends had changed her life that year for the better, but the darkness that had colored her year abroad still presented itself at the periphery of her life, waiting for moments of doubt so that it could eat into her soul.

She maintained a healthy distance from Takashi, given that he was still engaged to another woman, but their friendship had picked up again through hand-written letters and a few select visits between Boston and New York. They discussed everything from history and martial arts to current politics, but he never mentioned his four year promise, or his plan to make it happen. He also never talked about Minyung, his fiancé. Amaya was relegated to faith in his word and intention alone, which did little for her doubts. So much so, in fact, that she intended to breach the subject with him during the weekend.

"Amaya-chan!" a voice said excitedly. Honey fell in step beside her.

"Hey Honey," she answered, scooping him into hug. "It's good to see you. Congratulations."

"I'm glad you're here," he told her, adding in a more serious tone, "Not just for me and Reiko. I think your presence is important for the family to see."

Amaya studied her brother, seeing the intrepid maturity that Takashi wrote to her about in his letters. There was a new somberness about him that she hadn't noticed before, but it was well hidden under his familiar lively exterior. "I know they're still not on my side," she said as they continued walking.

"You'd be surprised. Two years does a lot for someone," he stated cryptically. "Not all of them are the same people you left."

They reached the front door of the main hall and Amaya gave pause. A rush of negative feelings overwhelmed her as she stared at the imposing doors.

"You want to walk around first?" Honey asked, reading her uneasiness. "I can take your bag and you can come in when you're ready."

"Yeah," was all she managed in response.

She handed him her backpack and took a deep breath, turning around and taking in the expansive drive. Her eyes drifted to the path that led to the dojo, and she immediately knew where she wanted to be. She hadn't stepped onto the floor of a real dojo since her fight with Takashi. The mat room at her school's gym certainly didn't count.

Amaya slipped off her shoes and stepped onto the cool wood floors, feeling her body automatically ground itself in the strong, polished planks. She walked to the wall and grabbed a bō staff, balancing the weight in her hands. She didn't have access to weapons like these in New York. _I wonder if I still remember the katas..._

Amaya stepped to the center of the room and took a deep breath, placing the staff on the ground in front of her. She performed her salutation before deftly kicking up the staff and catching it. She twisted it in circles, thrilled at how the simple movements of her wrists kept the weapon moving in fast circles. Her muscles retained each movement, even as her mind stopped thinking. She stepped left, bringing the staff forward with a sharp thrust, then twirling it above her head and hitting her imaginary opponents with a rotation of her arms that utilized both ends of her staff. After a few steps in that direction, she reversed her stance to take on the next imaginary opponent coming from behind her. As she turned the staff to strike, it met resistance unexpectedly with a loud 'CLACK.'

"Ah!" Amaya exclaimed in surprise. Takashi, appearing out of nowhere, had met her strike with a shinai. His eyes invited her to keep attacking. Instead of continuing with her kata, she went rogue, testing how well her skill in sparring with weapons had maintained itself since she left Japan. They spun together as if in a deadly dance, noise echoing off the walls of the dojo as the clacking of their weapons continued. After a while, Takashi caught the tip of her staff and parried it out of the way, stepping forward and swinging the shinai at her head, stopping just short of her neck.

Amaya's chest was heaving and she could feel sweat dripping down her back.

"Consider that our rematch," Takashi said, his deep voice reverberating through the room. He, too, was breathing heavily.

"Hardly fair," she retorted. "I'm out of practice!"

"I want a rematch," came an ominous voice from the entrance of the dojo. Amaya and Takashi both looked at the same time to address their newcomer. It was Yasuchika, with Satoshi in tow.

Amaya lowered her staff, taking a deep breath to calm her heart rate. She gave Yasuchika a steady look. Two years certainly had done a lot for him. She considered that he was about to start his third year of high school, the same age she had been when she first came to Tokyo. He had grown a couple inches taller, gained more muscle, and no longer wore glasses. She hadn't ever known him well, as he ascribed to her father's previous will that the Haninozuka boys stay away from her. Even now, Honey didn't mention him often, so she had no idea what sort of attitude he held regarding their relation. _Time to find out._

"Okay," she agreed.

"Amaya, are you sure?" Takashi implored her, but she gave him a nod that told him she was ready. He backed away.

Amaya and her little brother faced each other, bowing and taking a stance. When Takashi called the start of the fight, the two were immediately at each other attacking and defending. They were well matched in speed. Amaya was reminded of her first fight with him, long ago when she was told that girls weren't allowed in the dojo at Ouran. She hoped that still wasn't the case.

Amaya blocked a wheel kick, grunting in annoyance at how strong Yasuchika had become. They traded strikes back and forth, and Amaya was thankful that she had stayed physically fit even while abroad. However, she was out of sparring practice. Yasuchika landed more strikes than she did, and after a while she hoped that she wouldn't get any major bruises before the wedding the next day. Finally, after a barrage of attacks, both of them broke apart.

Amaya and Yasuchika stared each other down, both breathing heavily. Amaya watched as he pulled a three-sectional staff out of nowhere. He scowled at her. "A real Haninozuka carries an arsenal of weapons at all times." He began twirling the staff so quickly that it 'whooshed' through the air.

She narrowed her eyes at the comment. _That's so ridiculous,_ she thought, but she touched her pocket anyway, double checking that her utility knife was at the ready. It was the only weapon she carried.

Amaya had never used a three-sectional staff before, but she figured that because it was not a single unit, it would be hard to switch the direction of the staff quickly due to the momentum of the outer two sections. She could use that to her advantage. She spent the next few minutes expertly dodging Yasuchika's forward advance, but she couldn't find an opening for an attack. He was spinning the staff far too quickly for that to happen. Instead, she listened to the 'whoosh, whoosh, whoosh,' of each spin, trying to catch the timing of each twirl's zenith.

She let Yasuchika back her closer to a wall. At the right distance, she turned toward it and ran, taking a leap at the wall and pushing off of it with her foot. She did a backflip, sailing over the top of Yasuchika's head. She grinned...she had timed her jump perfectly. She reached out her arm, feeling a painful 'thwap' as the top section of the staff came up around Yasuchika's back and directly into the palm of her hand. She grabbed ahold. As she landed behind him, she yanked the end of the staff hard, feeling it loosen from his grip. Then, she twisted on her feet to counterattack while simultaneously flicking open her utility knife. As she turned to meet Yasuchika, she extended the knife toward his neck. He had moved even quicker, and with a flash of silver had a knife of his own aimed at her heart. They both stopped, finding themselves at a stalemate.

After a moment, Yasuchika angry frown disappeared and he lowered his blade. Amaya followed suit.

"Good fight, Onee-san," he said bashfully.

Amaya's eyes widened. "Onee-san?" she repeated. She dropped her knife, letting it clatter to the floor, and enveloped him in a bear hug.

He yelped audibly, surprised at her lack of formality. "Okay! Okay!" he cried. "Stop it! I'm not Mitsukuni!"

She let go, smiling sheepishly at his disapproval of her affection, yet thrilled that he considered her his sister. It was way more than she had dared to hope.

In an instant, Satoshi had sidled up to Yasuchika. "Don't listen to him," he said, punching his friend on the shoulder. "He secretly loves hugs."

"Do not!" retorted Yasuchika.

Amaya laughed, watching the two cousins with a critical eye. Satoshi had also grown taller in the interim years, though not as tall as Takashi. He had put on muscle as well, but was lankier than Yasuchika. Plus, there was still a boyish charm to him, like he hadn't quite grown into the adult body he now possessed. Amaya glanced behind her at Takashi and her heart fluttered at the satisfied look on his face. He was proud of her. Compared to his younger brother, Takashi looked a man grown, comfortable with his strength and fully aware of his power. She shivered. He grew more attractive with each passing day.

She picked up her knife and walked back to him.

"Not so rusty," he said simply.

"I'd still like a real rematch sometime."

"I'm sure we can arrange that."

Amaya smiled at him, simultaneously noticing that the dojo had fallen quiet. Yasuchika and Satoshi had slipped out to leave them alone. _Now is as good a time as any, I suppose..._ she thought. Her face grew serious as she considered how to start the conversation about their future.

"Takashi," she started, "I've been uneasy-"

"Takashi?" came a voice, cutting her off. A beautiful woman Amaya had only seen in pictures stepped inside of the dojo and up to Takashi, taking him by the arm. Minyung was in perfect makeup and a classy, yet chic, light pink dress. Amaya was acutely aware of her own appearance: sweat circles on her clothes, disheveled ponytail, and still trying to catch her breath. From the look on Minyung's face, she was not impressed.

"Who's this, Takashi?" she asked him, referring to Amaya.

"Amaya Tokugawa," Takashi told her. "My training partner."

Minyung looked annoyed. "Training partner?" she asked. She looked Amaya up and down, her eyes rife with judgement.

Amaya stuck out her hand in an attempt to be polite. "You must be Minyung. It's nice to finally meet you," she said.

Minyung blatantly ignored her hand and instead turned to Takashi. "The rehearsal is about to start. You're needed as best man."

"Oh!" Amaya said, surprised it had grown so late. Minyung gave her a sharp look. "I should go too then...I'm the maid of honor," she hastily explained.

Minyung raised her eyebrows in feigned surprise. "Then you must be the illegitimate Haninozuka. I wouldn't bother showing up looking like that."

The two women stared each other down with contempt. Amaya felt quite certain that she could cut the tension in the room with her knife, although she'd prefer to cut Minyung's pretty little face...

Minyung gave her a sickly sweet smile before tightening her grip on Takashi's arm and dragging him away. Amaya stood fuming, watching the backs of the betrothed couple disappear.

"I can't believe _she's_ the one they chose," she said angrily. She frowned, a little resentful that Takashi hadn't stood up for her. Doubt riddled her mind, but she stalked out of the dojo and to the main house to clean up for the rehearsal, which, as it turns out, was not 'about to start.'

When it did, it was short and sweet, with only close friends and family of the bride and groom involved. Honey and Reiko had opted for a western-style wedding, complete with the white dress and tuxedo, albeit with a few twists that represented the unique couple themselves. Their colors were gold and black, and they were holding the ceremony in the gardens on the Haninozuka compound. It was decked out in gothic style decorations. However, the gargoyles and grotesques that lined the aisles all took on various faces of Usa-chan (a compromise between the bride and groom, Amaya was told).

Amaya and Takashi were the only two in the wedding party, but their entire friend group had pulled together to make this a perfect event. This marked the first time a member of the Host Club was tying the knot, and it was a Host Club party on a massive scale. Hikaru and Kaoru, or rather, their mother, was in charge of dressing the bridal party to the specifications of Honey and Reiko. Kyoya covered logistics, and Tamaki and Haruhi were self-referred to as "ambiance coordinators," focusing on perfecting the atmosphere of the ceremony and the reception. Tamaki had pulled out all the stops in striking the perfect balance between Reiko and Honey's preferences, and the overall effect was just cute enough to be scary...or perhaps scary enough to fool one into thinking it was cute. Either way, both the bride and groom were satisfied with the result.

The presence of her friends was a welcome respite to her poor interaction with Minyung, but she still had to watch Minyung and Takashi sitting together all evening. The two had certainly warmed to each other since Boston. Amaya could tell by the way Minyung talked to him, and even though Takashi's answers were still only one or two words, he was calmer and without anxiety in his actions. It was enough to spark intense jealousy in Amaya, especially when Minyung went so far as to place her hand on his thigh, whispering something into his ear.

By the end of the night Amaya had a ball of anger sitting at the top of her chest. Her mind was a whirl of emotion. She was envious of Minyung and bitter and angry at Takashi. She never expected the two to be so close. She desperately wanted to air her frustration. She felt that she would explode at anyone else who tried to talk to her, but when Honey and Reiko walked up to her, Amaya swallowed her anger back down.

"Thanks for being here, Amaya-chan," Honey began. "I know it's not easy, especially with such a small wedding party."

Amaya let out a deep breath. "I'm happy to be here," she told them sincerely. "It's just harder than I thought, seeing them together."

Honey looked at the couple. "I don't think you have much to worry about," he said, an innocent confidence in his voice.

Amaya didn't answer. _I wish I could believe you._ From appearances, she had everything to worry about.

"We could arrange a meeting to help you," Reiko whispered in a dark and seductive voice. It was mysterious enough that Amaya mistook her meaning.

"You mean...like a séance?" she asked, her eyes wide. The dead knew lots of things. Talking to her mother, or perhaps even Takashi's mother, could be useful.

"Yes," Reiko replied sarcastically. "A séance with the living." She flailed her arms in exasperation. "No! Not everything I say reflects the dark arts! I mean we can arrange for you and Takashi to be alone."

"Oh," Amaya responded, half relieved and half disappointed. "Yeah, that would help, too."

Reiko and Honey ushered her into another room adjacent to the dining hall they were in, promising her that Takashi would be in shortly. Amaya walked to the window, staring out into the darkness that consumed the Haninozuka compound, wishing that she could see the stars. She considered her jealousy.

She hadn't expected it to be this difficult. Distance from him was one thing, because she had blind faith in his promise. Watching his relationship unfold with his fiancé was another. Even though Amaya knew that the relationship was inevitable, she couldn't help but feel lied to and cast aside, as if the man she loved was cheating on her with another woman. She didn't know how deep the relationship between Takashi and Minyung was, and all the worst possibilities played through her mind. The 'what ifs' were still entrenched in her psyche, roots planted deep in the unknown. What if Takashi didn't have a plan? What if he married Minyung? What if he started falling in love with her? Amaya shuddered at the thought.

The temptation to escape suddenly came over her, and she longed for a glass of forgetfulness. She glanced to the bar in the corner, sure that she would find something strong there. She closed her eyes, remembering the feeling of Takashi kissing her. It was this memory that usually kept her from reaching for the bottle, but tonight she had trouble remembering his passion. Instead, all she saw was Takashi kissing Minyung. She shook the thought from her head. _He still loves me...right?_

She lost track of how long she stood at the window, but finally she heard the door open. She was ready to lay down all her doubts at Takashi's feet. She turned around to face him.

"Takashi, I-" she began, but Takashi wasn't the one who entered the room. It was her father.

"I don't think you'll find Takashi," he told her, as surprised to see her as she was to see him. "He left with Minyung about five minutes ago. She was tired, apparently."

Amaya sighed, the weight of her doubts crushing down on her instead of being released. She collapsed in an arm chair, suddenly exhausted.

"What is wrong, Amaya?" her father asked. She watched him carefully. Since his visit in which he delivered the Haninozuka crest medallion, they made a point to talk via phone at least once a month. Their conversations had been awkward at first, but once they both warmed up to the idea that they might actually _like_ each other, the relationship had taken off. Yorihisa was just about the complete opposite of her first impression of him. He certainly had a serious and imposing side, but he was a trouble-maker at heart. He was fiercely competitive, and also fiercely protective.

"Do you think Takashi and Minyung will really get married?" she asked.

Yorihisa moved toward her and took a seat, letting out a deep sigh. "I don't know," he said. "There are a lot of forces at play."

"What do you mean?"

"The entire family, both Haninozuka and Morinozuka, are split on the union. There are powerful people fighting for it, and equally powerful people fighting against it."

"Takashi told me he wasn't going to marry her," Amaya ventured, gauging her father's response. "He said by the time he graduated, the engagement would be over." It wasn't quite what he had told her, but she was testing if his plan had gained traction within the family.

"I suppose it could happen," her father said, furrowing his brows in thought. "But there's no clear foundation on which to end the marriage. Especially because Minyung is so insistent on it happening."

Amaya's face darkened. _So Takashi might not actually have a plan..._ Perhaps that was why he hadn't told her anything yet. She definitely needed to talk to him, and soon.

"They seem to get along well," Amaya said quietly.

"Yes...they have become much more friendly in the past few months," Yorihisa admitted hesitantly.

Before Amaya could ask any more questions, the door burst open again and Honey and Reiko came scrambling in.

"Amaya-chan! I'm so sorry!" Honey cried, running up to her and giving her a huge hug. "We tried to get him away from her but it didn't work."

"She's like a leech," Reiko added in a very straight tone of voice.

"It's okay," Amaya said, exhausted. "I'll figure it out."

"Amaya," her father said, noting her tiredness. "Do not let worry shackle your strength. Takashi has made it clear who he loves."

She nodded, finding that she didn't believe him. She took a long moment before saying goodbye, and left the grounds of the Haninozuka household to make the trip back to her own family's home. As she rode in the car, fatigue overtook her, but her mind was still racing with thoughts. Regardless of what her father said, worry and unhappiness filled her mind. As much as she tried to convince herself that Takashi loved her, doubts pinged back and forth through her head in a vicious cycle. She was lost.

* * *

Takashi walked down the hall looking sullen. He was dressed in an all black suit, save for his gold cufflinks. He felt like he was going to a funeral, not a wedding, but then again, Mitsukuni and Reiko were anything but a traditional couple.

Mitsukuni passed him in the hallway, heading to the gardens for the ceremony. He looked the exact opposite of Takashi, completely ecstatic in an all white suit. "Takashi!" he exclaimed, his eyes bright with excitement. "You look like you're going to a funeral. No, wait, you look like you're the one who died. Reiko is going to love it!"

Takashi grunted in response, but smiled despite himself. The fact that he could make his friend so happy by looking so terrible was disconcerting, but he knew he would do anything for his best friend, including wearing a suit fit for someone's death. He wondered how bleak Amaya would look in her matching attire. They'd have to get pictures together after the wedding...two ghosts with pallid expressions.

He stopped before a door and knocked.

"Just a minute!" he heard Amaya call. A few seconds later, she opened the door.

Takashi inhaled in surprise. _Wow_ , he thought. Compared to himself, Amaya hardly looked like death. Her dress, a black, floor length chiffon number with short fluttering sleeves, hugged her body in all the right places. Her hair was both curled and pinned up in extravagant braiding, with a golden circlet adding a glimmering contrast against her dark hair. When she turned around to tell Reiko that Takashi had arrived, he saw that the dress had a deep V-cut back. He imagined stroking his fingers over her skin, wondering how soft it would feel, but then caught himself and immediately reddened. _We're not married yet,_ he reminded himself.

Reiko appeared behind Amaya. She looked the epitome of a priestess...or on second thought, perhaps goddess would be a better term. Her black hair was intricately weaved together with golden leaves, and a long veil flowed down over the tiered layers in her dress. She was the goddess, and Amaya her faithful maiden.

"Mitsukuni will be pleased," he heard himself say. The girls smiled.

"Takashi, you look good," Amaya said quietly.

He gave her an unenthused look. "I'm a ghost."

Her eyes twinkled. "Well, you do look a little more somber than usual, and the suit does make you look rather imposing...and now that I think of it, your eyes do look more black than grey...but you're a very handsome ghost."

Her attempt to make him feel better about his ensemble had worked. He hoped that she knew how lovely she was. Black hardly looked somber on her.

Takashi led the two women towards the garden, stopping before the bridge that would carry them over a stream and to the ceremony. They still had a few minutes before the ceremony began. He let his eyes drink in Amaya's appearance once more. She was beautiful, but now that they were out of earshot of Reiko, her demeanor had changed. Something was troubling her, and he suspected it had to do with his fiancé. Minyung had acted a little cold towards Amaya the day before.

"She's not as mean as you think she is," he told her.

Amaya snapped her head to him, looking surprised. Clearly he had said the wrong thing. "Do you like her?" The words spilled out of Amaya's mouth.

Takashi searched Amaya's eyes. She was hurt, but he wasn't sure why. He loved her more than anything. Didn't she know that? "Yes. I think you'd like her, too."

Amaya didn't answer him, but her face grew pale, giving Takashi the impression that she was as much a ghost as he was.

He thought back to their conversation the previous fall. By the end of four years, he would be a full-fledged practicing lawyer. He had discussed endless alternatives with Mitsukuni and Kyoya, but the plan they settled on had to be fool-proof, and the subtle manipulation needed for the plan to work required disseminating the right information at the right time. Takashi hated it. It was a realm much better suited for Kyoya's skill set, but at this point, Takashi would do anything to make sure it happened, as long as everything ended in an honorable way with Amaya in his arms. He was building a case against his family, and Amaya would have a significant role to play when the time came. He looked back at her as the processional music began. She looked like she was going to be sick.

He wished he could make her fears disappear, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He resolved to find her at the reception. They could talk then. For the time being, he held out his arm for her. They took their first steps over the bridge, coming into view of the arbor where Mitsukuni and Reiko would exchange vows.

Takashi looked down at Amaya, who still had an uncomfortable expression on her face. He followed her gaze and found his fiancé staring daggers at Amaya. It lit an angry fire in him. Minyung wasn't supposed to have a vendetta against Amaya, but she had spent too much time with Satoru and Mayumi Haninozuka. They had already poisoned her heart. He leaned down and whispered, "Jealousy is a wasteful emotion," in Amaya's ear. She looked up to him, hurt and confusion clear on her face. A sharp pang ran through Takashi's chest. _What did I say?_ He had only spoken the truth. There was absolutely no reason for Amaya to be jealous of Minyung.

They reached the alter, and Takashi gave Honey a brief nod. He and Amaya parted ways. The music changed, and everyone stood to see Reiko enter with her father. Murmurs went through the crowd as she came into view. Few eyes among the guests were dry, but Takashi didn't notice. He couldn't keep his eyes off of Amaya. She was exquisite, but looked rather joyless on this happy occasion. When he tore his gaze away and looked back to the center aisle, he saw that Minyung was still staring at Amaya, looking murderous. He frowned, a subtle fear passing through him. He'd need to talk to Kyoya about this one. Amaya and Minyung couldn't be enemies...his plan hinged on their friendship.

* * *

That evening at the reception, Amaya was painfully aware of how her relatives treated her. While most of them had kind things to say, asked her about university, and generally welcomed her back to Japan, her Haninozuka grandparents outright refused to speak with her, even after she addressed them directly.

Worse, Minyung observed the interactions and used them to her advantage.

Amaya overheard her shrill voice throughout the night, commenting on how an illegitimate child could be allowed at an event of this type. Minyung sidled up to Satoru and Mayumi Haninozuka, showering them with compliments and engaging in slander against her.

Amaya sat down in a huff at her seat, alone while Reiko, Honey, and Takashi engaged with their family and friends. She put her head in her hands, squeezing her eyes shut and hoping she could make it through the night.

"You seem to be quite a disappointment to the family," came a voice. Amaya looked up, finding Minyung staring down at her. "In fact, it seems that you tend to do more harm than good. I hear there's quite a bit of family turmoil because of you."

"Yeah, I've been told I shouldn't exist, but being born was hardly my own choice, was it?"

"And yet you seem to continue inserting yourself into this family. That does seem to be a choice. If I were you, I'd pack my bags and leave before something unfortunate happens."

It sounded like a threat, but Amaya just said, "It's a good thing I'm not you."

Minyung smirked, gave Amaya a warning look, and ambled away. _If looks could kill_... Amaya thought. _How can Takashi like her?_

A minute later, Kyoya sat down.

"Not enjoying yourself?" he asked, clearly observant of her demeanor.

"Not particularly." She shook her head, trying to change her attitude. "No, I'm really happy for Reiko and Honey. They make a lovely, if not eccentric, couple."

She watched as Reiko and Honey twirled together on the dance floor, laughing. Haruhi and Tamaki were also waltzing, clearly in love. She saw Minyung pulling Takashi to dance and immediately averted her gaze. None of this escaped Kyoya's notice.

"Amaya, would you care to dance?"

"I would love to," she said. _Anything that will be a distraction._ He took her hand and led her to the floor. They danced without speaking for a few moments.

"You're a good friend," she told him. "To Takashi, and to me."

"I do what I can." He paused. "You know, Minyung isn't quite the terrible person you think she is."

"I take back what I just said," she responded coldly.

Kyoya didn't answer her, instead switching his leading style as the music changed.

"She's a smart and intelligent person, but just like you, her gender makes it hard for her to realize her full potential."

 _Great_ , Amaya thought, contrite. She wasn't expecting her conversation with Kyoya to make her empathetic to Minyung. She didn't want to be empathetic to Minyung.

"Unlike me, she's not a nice person," she said.

"That doesn't mean she's a bad person." Kyoya pulled her close. "You have a better chance at the future you want if you understand the dynamics of the present situation."

"Kyoya, please be honest with me. Do you think they're going to get married?" she asked.

He smiled. "Ah, I see. You think that they might be falling in love."

"I didn't say that," she denied quickly.

"But it's what you fear."

She hesitated, before nodding. "They get along. He likes her, and she's obviously trying hard to make the relationship work."

"No one holds a candle to you, Amaya."

She looked away, blushing. "Then why hasn't he made that clear? It seems like he's content doing nothing."

"Isn't there a saying, 'keep your friends close, but your enemies closer?' He's not doing nothing."

"I'd still prefer if he weren't _that_ close to her."

"Maybe you should find out what he sees in her."

Amaya stopped in her tracks."So...Takashi does see something in her?" she asked, not at all okay with how the night was panning out.

He smiled wryly, pulling her back into step. "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer, Amaya."

The music ended, and he gave her a wink before turning away, once again becoming his normal, indifferent self.

Before she could consider their conversation further, Honey took her hand and requested a dance. She spun around the room with her brother in his normal fashion, laughing and forgetting about the problems at hand for a few perfect moments.

When the dance ended, she felt slightly dizzy, also a normal response to dancing with Honey. She searched for a source of water, seeing a pitcher on a tray in the corner near the gigantic wedding cake.

As she walked to get a glass, she couldn't help but admire the details of the cake. The bride and groom had designed it themselves. It was white, but decorated in black and gold runes and spells. The cake topper comprised of a miniature Usa-chan and Beelzenef dancing together. There were multiple tiers, and Amaya had been told there was every flavor of cake imaginable, all because Honey couldn't decide what his favorite was. It was truly the centerpiece of the reception.

Amaya was so engrossed in studying the cake as she walked that she didn't notice who she was passing. She also didn't notice Minyung's foot slip out in front of her own, and was caught with surprise when she tripped. She gasped and stumbled as she tried to catch her balance, but in heels it was all too much. She groped for anything that she could hold on to, but the only thing in the path of gravity and the floor was the gigantic cake itself.

 _Shit_.

Amaya braced herself for icing and fondant, but felt herself being jerked away at the last second. Her heart was beating wildly, and it took her a moment to realize that she was being embraced by strong, protective, and familiar arms. She sighed and buried her face in the lapel of Takashi's black coat, feeling his warm hands on her back as he held her tightly. _That was nearly a disaster_...

Takashi looked from Amaya to Minyung, a deep frown on his face. "That was not nice," he said, his voice deep, steady, and powerful.

Amaya lifted her head and turned to find her perpetrator. Minyung stared back at them, but looking less imposing than before. She had been caught red handed. She looked small, and very nearly afraid. Her lower lip began to tremble, and then she turned and walked away quickly, leaving the room.

"Amaya," Takashi said softly. She always loved how tenderly he spoke her name. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," she said as her heart slowed and the adrenaline calmed. She gave a furtive glance to where Minyung had left the room. _Why in the world does she hate me so much?_

"Let's talk," he said.

Amaya wanted nothing more than to speak with him, but this particular event rattled her. "Excuse me for a moment..." she told him. She left him and followed the path Minyung took.

Amaya found Takashi's fiancé in a nearby room. Minyung whirled around when Amaya entered. Her cold attitude had made a quick return, despite her eyes being wet with tears.

"Why are you so cruel towards me?" Amaya demanded, before Minyung could say anything.

"Are you serious? Because you're obviously in love with my fiancé," she responded, sniffing and dabbing away the last of her tears.

Amaya looked down to the floor, pursing her lips. She couldn't argue with that statement. She closed her hands in fists. _Hold in the anger, Amaya._

"What, are you going to hit me?" Minyung said, scoffing. " _Training partner_ ," she sneered.

"He's _your_ fiancé," Amaya stated. "Why are you so jealous?" she asked calmly, lifting her eyes to see Minyung's response. Minyung wasn't expecting to be called out. She stopped what she was doing for a second, caught between another retort and telling the truth.

"He doesn't like me," she finally said.

Some of Amaya's anger dissipated in her utter surprise. "What could possibly give you that idea? He's much kinder to you than he should be."

Minyung crossed her arms and looked away, grinding her teeth together and refusing to look Amaya in the eye. "Being kind and liking someone aren't the same."

 _Keep your enemies close_... Amaya thought. "He _told_ me he likes you," she said softly.

Minyung laughed. "That can't be true."

"If the words came out of his mouth, they're more than likely true. Takashi can't lie," Amaya said, finding a seat on a couch in order to appear less threatening. "He may not talk much-"

Minyung cut her off. "Much? It's _impossible_ to get him to talk. I've tried everything I can think of to win him over, but he doesn't respond to anything, least of all romance," she blurted, fresh tears brimming in her eyes. Much to Amaya's surprise, she kept talking. "And then you come along, and he's this sweet, gentle, caring man for you, not the cold, closed book that will never open for me. I know I didn't start our relationship off well...but this wasn't the plan I had for my life." She glared at Amaya. "Not that _you'd_ care. I'm sure you're rooting for us to end."

Amaya stared, speechless. If Minyung was this worried about her relationship with Takashi, then there was no reason for Amaya to be. _Jealousy is a wasteful emotion. I get it now._ She grew calm as her perspective of the situation shifted.

"I'm not thrilled by the match," Amaya said, "but even if it ended I still wouldn't be with Takashi. You aren't my enemy. You met the Haninozukas...you know that they hate me.

"This wasn't the plan I had for my life, either. I'm a bastard, and fate stacked a heavy hand against me. My parents' choice ensured that I would never be good enough for this family, but I'm here anyway. I'm not going down without a fight."

"I'm not either," Minyung retorted.

Silence permeated the room. Amaya considered the answer. "Who are you fighting, though? If it's me, you've already won. You have Takashi." She paused. "It seems you want more than that."

Minyung didn't respond, but she did find a seat across from Amaya.

"What did you want to do, before the arranged marriage?" Amaya asked, more quietly.

Minyung waited a moment, opening and closing her mouth, debating how much to give away. "Technology," she said simply. "I want to be CEO of my family's company."

"And why can't you?" Amaya probed.

Minyung's face darkened. "I'm not even in contention," she said. "Out of my other family members, I performed the strongest in science, math, and business, but I'm considered inferior because I'm a woman."

Amaya scoffed. "That sounds so familiar..." she said under her breath. "If you're the most competent, you should be in that position regardless of your gender." She thought for a moment. "Wait, so with your marriage, the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families get a business deal." She was beginning to see why Minyung was so frustrated. "Your family is literally using you as a pawn?"

"I actually suggested the match," Minyung replied softly. "It's the only way I can ensure that the company has new business in a sector with more promise. My cousin, who's probably going to become the next CEO, doesn't know the technology like I do. His decisions are going to wreck business. Our competitors will sail past what we can do."

"Oh," Amaya said, realizing the extent of the situation. Minyung was trying to save her family's business by sacrificing her own happiness. The boys were right. Maybe she wasn't what she seemed on the surface.

"Yes, but Takashi and I don't get along. I need a business partner who complements my skills, not a husband."

"So...you don't actually want to marry Takashi? You're only doing this to protect your family's business?" Amaya asked hopefully.

"I'll do anything to help the company. That's why I have to marry him. But, in a perfect world, I'd prefer to marry someone who's not a pushover," she said point blank. "Takashi can't handle me."

Amaya choked on her laughter.

"What?" Minyung asked, frustrated.

"You two have drastically different personalities, I'll give you that, but Takashi isn't a pushover." She thought for a moment. "I bet he's actually on your side."

It was Minyung's turn to scoff. "How could he be? He's marrying me against his will."

"What if you could get the business deal without the marriage?"

"That would be a dream come true," Minyung told her. "But it's not possible. I've considered everything."

"What if you did business with the Tokugawa family instead?" Amaya blurted the question without really thinking about it. It was just the first alternative that came to her mind.

Minyung gauged Amaya carefully. "Is that a real offer?" she asked in a measured voice.

Amaya thought more carefully. She would be undermining the Haninozuka family, possibly ruining her chances of marrying Takashi even further. But what, really, did she have to lose? The Haninozuka family would hate her no more than they already did, and freeing Takashi from this marriage would give them more time to think of new possibilities.

"Yes," she finally said. She could talk her uncle into it. "And I'm sure the Tokugawa family could sweeten the deal."

Minyung had lost all of her enmity towards Amaya. She was now completely serious, all business. Amaya could see why Minyung would make a good CEO. "I never thought I'd be making a deal with the devil," she said, holding out her hand.

Amaya smiled, taking Minyung's hand and giving it a firm shake. "I'm not the devil you need to worry about."

* * *

Takashi was talking with Tamaki and Haruhi when Amaya came back into the room. He immediately noticed her demeanor had changed. There was a new lightness about her and a spring in her step. She looked much happier, making him wonder about what she and Minyung could have possibly talked about.

A few minutes later, Minyung re-entered the room, much more subdued. She walked over to them and took her place by his side, but did not speak. She was deep in thought. The two sudden changes in personality gave Takashi pause, and he wondered how concerned he should be over the exchange that just took place.

He didn't have long to think about it because the ceremonies continued with the cutting of the cake and final toasts, which signaled the exit of the bride and groom into the night. It was growing late, and the older family members were growing tired.

During the toasts, Takashi stood next to Amaya, glasses of champagne in their hands. She spoke in an incredibly elegant and professional manner, simultaneously speaking of the love she had for her brother and his bride while avoiding the subject of their family relation throughout the entire speech. She spoke of starting new chapters, the importance of finding the right person to love, and wished the happy and eccentric couple a future of new traditions. It was all the standard stuff of wedding toasts, but it was a few key words and where she placed emphasis that made him realize she was chiding his family for still adopting the ancient culture of arranged marriage and neglecting to offer all the grandchildren freedom of choice in who to love. It was so subtle that he almost missed it, but he realized how powerful the tactic was. He needed to follow suit.

"Mitsukuni," he began, writing an entirely new speech in the moment. "I've known you my entire life, and so have seen that you have found the perfect partner in life. Since meeting Reiko, you have become a better version of who you once were. The right kind of love will do that, love that is chosen and free. I offer tonight only one piece of advice. In everything that you do, do it together, because two are much stronger than one. Live together, love together, and fight together. Reiko, welcome to the family."

It was only a sentence or two longer than what he had originally planned to say, but he hoped he got the point across.

Soon, the couple was sent on their way, and guest began leaving for the night.

"Takashi," Minyung said, tapping him on the shoulder. "I'm going to leave. I'd like to get to sleep early tonight."

He nodded at her, a little surprised. Normally, she made every effort to stay with him. She was acting like a completely different person.

"I'll see you at home," he said.

After the guests had left, the rest of the Host Club meandered about, taking down table decorations and making sure that the wedding gifts went to the right room.

"I think we're done," Amaya told him, letting out a big sigh.

"Almost."

Takashi nodded to the band, who struck up one more song. He bowed gallantly. "I never asked you for a dance," he said, reaching out his hand to her.

Amaya hesitated before looking around the room. Tamaki winked at her, and she realized that they were safe. She took Takashi's hand and he immediately pulled her into a waltz reminiscent of their first dance together. They floated around the empty dance floor like two ghosts, dark fabric swirling among the dimmed lights, pale skin touching in a warm embrace.

The music turned into a slow dance, and he held her close, bringing his forehead to rest against hers and closing his eyes.

"You know, Takashi," she said, "you and I have been fighting for each other since the beginning, but we've never done it together."

"I know." He had hoped that she caught the meaning in his best man speech. Her words confirmed that she did. "We need to."

She spoke hesitantly. "I may have made an impulsive decision..."

He opened his eyes again and stopped dancing, pulling back from her slightly to get a good look at her face.

She had a hard time meeting his eyes, but she told him about her decision to undermine the Haninozuka family by making a deal with Minyung.

 _Kyoya works magic_ , Takashi thought. _That happened much quicker than I expected it to._ It also explained Minyung's behavior.

"I should have talked to you first," she said, guilt pouring out. "I know you don't have a way to end the marriage, so I felt I needed to make the most of the opportunity."

"What you've done is perfect," he told her. He was elated. If the alliance with Minyung was in place, they could start working on the rest of the plan. Takashi picked Amaya up and spun her around the room.

"Takashi, I'm so confused!" she said.

He set her down, beginning to explain his strategy. As his excitement grew, so did hers.

"You have a plan!" she stated, relief flooding through her face when he finished the details. "Wait, why couldn't you tell me about it, or about Minyung? It would have been so much easier."

"I'm sorry," he said, seeing the toll that his silence had taken on her. "It is necessary that my family is not involved in this deal in any way whatsoever, so it was safer to let it happen naturally. It would compromise things down the road if I were involved."

"You're sneaky..." she said. "We've been fighting together this entire time." She gave him a perfectly innocent look that weakened his knees and set his heart on fire.

"Yes," he said. _Stay in control_. He wished that they were already married. "We are fighting together. And we will continue to fight together for the rest of our lives."

* * *

Hidden at the doorway, Akira and Yorihisa watched their son and daughter talking. At one point, Takashi began to laugh and picked up Amaya, spinning her in a circle.

"That is pure joy," Akira told his friend.

"I've never seen your son laugh so much. Not even with Mitsukuni. You're right, he has Kei's smile."

"Amaya brings her back to us."

"Amaya brings Kazu back to us as well," Yorihisa said in a tight voice.

Akira put his hand on his friend's shoulder as he turned to leave. "Tonight is no night to be sad. Your son just married a wonderful woman, and you now have a new daughter. Go get some rest. We have work to do tomorrow."

As his friend left him, Yorihisa took a deep breath, considering the couple on the dance floor.

 _That is not pure joy_ , he thought to himself, _that is pure love._

He stepped away from the door, letting Amaya and Takashi have privacy, but when he went to rub his eyes, he found they were wet. Out of joy, or sadness, he could not say.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading and staying with me as these chapters get longer and longer. There was just too much I wanted to include. Honey and Reiko's wedding felt like the perfect setting to explore what it would be like if Amaya and Takashi weren't communicating well. It would be easy to misunderstand Takashi...because he doesn't really speak...but I imagine that even someone who can read him really well, like Amaya, could totally misunderstand his intentions, especially when jealousy kicks in. There's also this shifty family business going on underneath it all, and other family member dynamics that I wanted to start resolving. To be perfectly honest, I should have thought about how I was going to wrap up those details a little more when I planted them in earlier chapters, but c'est la vie. This is my attempt to bring everything to a close in a believable manner.

Thank you to those who favorited, followed, and reviewed! I hope you're still enjoying where the story is going and how it is wrapping up. Thanks so much to those who have been with me from the very beginning, and to those who have just found the story and like it, too! Super special shoutouts to DreamUnicorn247, Amarenima Redwood, angelvoice15, slucky13, YaBoiMeme, Paige McCarthy, Kuroshi Ansatsusha87, Mamabug, gossamermouse101, zerom1v, AmericanNidiot, Bree, SarahELupin, and DarkSideOfWonderland for reviewing.


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